Athaliah Reynolds, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Bent, McCalla

Chief Justice Zaila McCalla wants the responsibility for serving summonses, to potential jurors, removed from the police.

She made the call yesterday after declaring that the failure of many police personnel, to carry out this function, has been adding to the mountain of issues faced by the courts, already burdened with a huge backlog.

"Although a list of jurors is presented to the police for service, many times, a vast number of jurors are not served," Justice McCalla said at a fund-raising breakfast of the Lions Club of St. Andrew at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel in St. Andrew.

The Chief Justice said removing the responsibility for serving summonses to potential jurors from the police would help them concentrate on their other responsibilities.

According to Mrs. McCalla, last term, and in previous terms, the Home Circuit Court was severely hampered by a persistent lack of jurors and an absence of witnesses.

"Many multiple accused cases could not get off the ground," she noted. "Some of the cases were tried over many days and resulted in many other cases on the list having to be postponed."

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jevene Bent yesterday declined to comment on the claim that many police personnel were not carrying out their function to serve summonses on potential jurors to attend court. However, she agreed that the police should be relieved of this responsibility, saying it was severely hampering their work.

Lack of manpower

"We don't have the manpower to do the job," said DCP Bent. "It is very difficult for police officers to visit one location six to seven times in one day to find one person."

DCP Bent is suggesting that the responsibility be transferred to a private entity under a contracted agreement with the Government.

The police have complained that the reluctance of many citizens to serve as jurors makes it increasingly difficult to locate them for the summonses to be served.

The police have proposed that the Tax Registration Number system be used in the jury selection process, saying it would be more effective than the voters' list which is now being used.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com