Protester says government backing police to win votes

As the number of police-involved killings in Jamaica climbed to 108 for the year, one citizen is questioning whether the Government's show of alignment with law enforcement is more about electioneering than public safety.

Clement Cameron, a 63-year-old resident of St Ann, believes the support shown to the police - particularly from elected officials - is no coincidence in an election year.

"The Government is banking on crime statistics to fall so they can campaign on it. It's not just about justice, it's another piece of the political puzzle. Jamaicans can't run from it because it's just how the system set up fi poor people," Cameron said.

His comments come amid calls from the Government for members of the public to wear blue in support of the security forces on Tuesday.

This coincided with a protest organised by the human rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, demanding greater police accountability and wider use of body-worn cameras.

Cameron also criticised the backlash faced by human rights groups, particularly JFJ, which has long advocated for transparency within the security forces.

"JFJ have a role, and they supposed to carry it out without getting fight from the Government or the public," he said. "But from what me can see, some people don't understand the importance of justice until it knock on dem door."

Meanwhile, Mickel Jackson, executive director of JFJ, emphasised that the organisation's role is not to demonise the police.

"[The police force], they're doing good work, the murder rate is going down, we laud it. But not because we celebrate a reduction in murder means we should say no to accountability. Not because we celebrate a reduction in murder, means we're going to be saying, why are we making the call for the body-worn cameras?" she said.

Jackson highlighted a current case involving a man who was held under the state of emergency for more than a year without being charged.

"To date, he has not been charged," she said. "Through our advocacy and attorneys, we were able to bring the matter before the court. We're hoping he and others will be compensated. When he was detained, his babymother had to sell the family car to survive. He almost lost his eyesight."

She added, "Let's not look at these individuals and say, 'You're a criminal'. That's not how law and order works. JFJ does state accountability. And you need a JFJ in a society like ours."