Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter
National Security Minister Derrick Smith views the body of Assistant Commissioner of Police Gilbert Kameka, during a memorial service for the slain policeman at the Mount Salem Seventh-day Adventist Convention Centre in Montego Bay, on December 16. - Photo by Mark Titus
Two thousand and seven was a year of many murders, ongoing abuse by the police, and the killing of the highest number of policemen in recent memory. The year was also about change and renewal.
There was the change of government, resulting in a new Minister of National Security, Derrick Smith; the retirement of the Commissioner of Police, the Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, and the appointment of their successors. This year also saw the continued fight against the narcotics trade, as well as the inept handling of the Bob Woolmer murder investigation by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Bob Woolmer affair
The Cricket World Cup, held over March and April, was expected to bring life to the region - not death. Therefore, when on March 18, Bob Woolmer, 58, then coach of the Pakistan Cricket Team was pronounced dead at the University Hospital of the West Indies, at 12:14 p.m., the entire country went into shock. The handling of the investigation placed the JCF and the Jamaican Government in the international spotlight. According to police spokespersons, Woolmer's death was first said to be caused by murder, then by natural causes. Subsequently, a coroner's inquest delivered an open verdict on the case. However, an investigation ordered by then Minister of National Security Peter Phillips, to be conducted by Justice Ian Forte, has not yet been revealed to the Jamaican public.
Change of commissioner
On October 11, Lucius Thomas announced his retirement after 38 years in the JCF and less than two years as commissioner of police. Remembered by his colleagues for his open-door policy and his inclusiveness, Thomas still had over one year left under his contract.
A search - carried out over several weeks - for Thomas' successor, was rife with speculation. However, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin emerged as the favourite, and his appointment was confirmed in Gleaner reports on December 1.
Admiral Lewin, who officially took up office on December 17, has hit the ground running and has earned many plaudits for his ideas, which include making the JCF community-focused, and shutting down ineffective police stations.
Change of JDF head
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) was not to be outdone as it too changed head, albeit much more quietly. The new Commissioner of Police, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, retired as Chief of Staff of the JDF, after serving in the force for 36 years, five and a half as head. His successor is Major General Stewart Saunders.
National election
Some persons, including then Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas, predicted a bloody election. However, despite these predictions and claims and counterclaims by the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party, the police have not linked any of the killings within the period as being politically motivated. There were killings within the period, however, which had political overtones. The murder of four persons, which occurred in Georges Valley, Manchester, in August, was one such incident.
Police killings
Not since 1984 has the JCF seen so many of its members killed by gunmen. According to the Constabulary Communication Network, 19 policemen have been shot and killed since the start of the year. The severity of the trend was underlined when Assistant Commissioner of Police Gilbert Kameka became the highest-ranking policeman in recent memory to be murdered. ACP Kameka, who was killed on November 29 in the hills of Irish Town in St. Andrew, was in charge of Area Four.
Police abuse and corruption
Police corruption and alleged police abuse reared their ugly head several times in 2007.
In January, a poll commissioned by The Gleaner indicated that Jamaicans believed one in every two police was corrupt. The Bill Johnson polls, conducted on January 5 and 6 this year, found that most people believed nearly 55 per cent of the members of the JCF were shady.
The hierarchy of the JCF in 2007 moved to stem the practice of corruption with the hiring of ACP Justin Felice as head of the Anti-Corruption Unit. Commissioner Lewin also signed the anti-corruption plan, which is designed to deter corruption in the force.
Alleged police abuse also made the news in 2007 with numerous claims of police excesses. According to police statistics, over 260 persons have been killed in confrontations with the police. For these killings, the police received condemnation. There were public protests in St. Thomas, where a pregnant woman was killed during a protest by residents, as well as the controversial shooting in Grants Pen, St. Andrew, where 19-year-old André Thomas was killed. Four policemen have been charged with murder following the incident.
Murder
More than 1,500 persons were killed in 2007.
The year started off with an unwelcome bang: 149 persons murdered in January. This was the second-bloodiest month in the year, according to police statistics. With a spike in the latter part of the year, specifically after the general election, cries came from the public and private sector leaders for action from the new JLP government. It responded with a boost in equipment for the JCF to the tune of over $300 million. Joint police and military operations were also increased and deployed in several hot spots across the area. The divisions of St. James, St. Andrew South, East Kingston, Clarendon, St. Catherine North and Central Kingston presented challenges for the police, with a number of gruesome killings being committed in those divisions.
Drugs
Despite major drug busts and finds by the Narcotics Division, the Marine Division and Operation Kingfish, and the extradition of some drug kingpins, Jamaica remained on the United States' list of major drug-transit or illicit drug-producing countries. This, according to U.S. Embassy officials, was because of Jamaica's high cultivation of marijuana and its status as a transit point for cocaine.
Murder tally 2007
January 149
February 97
March 121
April 119
May 102
June 120
July 136
August 127
September 134
October 144
November 166
Total 1,415
