BEING CHARGED by the police can be quite an upsetting experience.
Here are a few pointers that can help to eliminate the whole mystery of the procedure.
If you are being charged you should:
Only be taken to a police station or police lock-up or, if injured, to the hospital.
Ask for a phone call or ask to send a message or note right away and keep asking until you can reach someone. Let them know what has happened and where you are.
If you are taken into custody, the police are responsible for your safety and the arresting officer should tell you that you are entitled to legal representation.
If you do not have a lawyer, one should be notified from a list of names of duty counsel (attorneys) posted at the station.
The police officer does not have the right to detain you without a reasonable and probable cause (Attorney General's Ruling 1985). The police may arrest you if they suspect that you have committed or are about to commit a crime.
DETENTION IS UNLAWFUL
If you or any other citizen has been arrested and charged, you are presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise and you should therefore be treated accordingly.
Source: A Code of Conduct For Police-Citizen Relations in Jamaica.
