From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Failed state status on the horizon
Mark Wignall
Thursday, May 06, 2010
"You chopping, boy, but no chips are flying." - From the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.
One day last week as I allowed myself the opportunity to watch Senator Dwight Nelson, our minister of national security, address the Upper House on security matters, a number of items jumped out at me.
Read the whole column here.
Snippet(s):
"Just recently the new commissioner, Owen Ellington, made the appeal for the people to assist in the push-back against violent criminality, and the commissioner immediately before him, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, told us in 2005 that Tivoli is the "mother of all garrisons". Before him, Lucius Thomas detailed the corruption inside the police force. And just before the JLP election win in September 2007, the JLP proudly strode into power armed with an impressive crime plan authored by ex-commissioner, Colonel Trevor McMillan."
&
"Commissioner Ellington would probably be the last to admit that many of the advances that were made in taking down criminals of the "Mr Big" type happened mostly with the efforts of the British policemen who came in under the last administration when the security ministry was headed by Peter Phillips. Will he admit, though, that too high a percentage of personnel in the JCF are too close to organised criminality? Nah, he won't."
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observemark@gmail.com
Showing posts with label JCF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JCF. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
JO - Justice Minister correct in Coke's extradition case
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Justice Minister correct in Coke's extradition case
Ken Chaplin
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Investigations carried out by this writer have established beyond all reasonable doubt that while the Jamaican Supreme Court judge authorised the interception of conversations by Christopher Coke which helped the US grand jury to indict him on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to traffic in firearms without a licence, the information was illegally forwarded to US authorities in clear violation of the extradition treaty.
Read the whole column here.
Snippet(s):
"The communication was illegally passed on to US authorities by a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who worked in the intercept facility in Kingston. The facility was established in 2004 by Jamaica, the United Kingdom and the USA to gather and share intelligence. The court order is always subject to the condition that the intercepted information must only be disclosed to a class of people authorised by the judge to receive such information. In no instance has any order ever been made authorising the disclosure of the information to a foreign government or an agency of a foreign government. The people who are usually authorised to receive such information are the commissioner of police and the assistant commissioner, the head of the Military Intelligence Unit and the superintendent of police in charge of the interception. The law has to be strictly followed and no mutual understandings arrived at between Jamaica and United States law enforcement authorities will do."
"The violation by the police constable represents a dangerous precedent. It is a straightforward case and the US government has an obligation to provide the government of Jamaica with all relevant information in order that it may determine when, where and how the communication was intercepted and whether or not it was done under the authority of a valid warrant. My understanding is that the police constable is now living in the USA. He should be tracked down and steps taken to have him extradited to face criminal charges as the offence he committed is an extraditable one. But this is unlikely to happen as it appears that he was a double agent. The police constable, tagged John Doe by the Americans to hide his identity is scheduled to give evidence at the trial of Coke in the USA if Coke is extradited."
&
"(T)he ball is now in the court of the Americans to make a fresh request based on legally obtained evidence to have Coke extradited and given a fair trial in the USA. The impasse between Jamaica and the USA over this matter should never have occurred. It has led to tense diplomatic relations between the two countries with the prospect of deterioration."
Jamaica Observer
Justice Minister correct in Coke's extradition case
Ken Chaplin
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Investigations carried out by this writer have established beyond all reasonable doubt that while the Jamaican Supreme Court judge authorised the interception of conversations by Christopher Coke which helped the US grand jury to indict him on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to traffic in firearms without a licence, the information was illegally forwarded to US authorities in clear violation of the extradition treaty.
Read the whole column here.
Snippet(s):
"The communication was illegally passed on to US authorities by a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who worked in the intercept facility in Kingston. The facility was established in 2004 by Jamaica, the United Kingdom and the USA to gather and share intelligence. The court order is always subject to the condition that the intercepted information must only be disclosed to a class of people authorised by the judge to receive such information. In no instance has any order ever been made authorising the disclosure of the information to a foreign government or an agency of a foreign government. The people who are usually authorised to receive such information are the commissioner of police and the assistant commissioner, the head of the Military Intelligence Unit and the superintendent of police in charge of the interception. The law has to be strictly followed and no mutual understandings arrived at between Jamaica and United States law enforcement authorities will do."
"The violation by the police constable represents a dangerous precedent. It is a straightforward case and the US government has an obligation to provide the government of Jamaica with all relevant information in order that it may determine when, where and how the communication was intercepted and whether or not it was done under the authority of a valid warrant. My understanding is that the police constable is now living in the USA. He should be tracked down and steps taken to have him extradited to face criminal charges as the offence he committed is an extraditable one. But this is unlikely to happen as it appears that he was a double agent. The police constable, tagged John Doe by the Americans to hide his identity is scheduled to give evidence at the trial of Coke in the USA if Coke is extradited."
&
"(T)he ball is now in the court of the Americans to make a fresh request based on legally obtained evidence to have Coke extradited and given a fair trial in the USA. The impasse between Jamaica and the USA over this matter should never have occurred. It has led to tense diplomatic relations between the two countries with the prospect of deterioration."
Saturday, April 3, 2010
JG - Millions spent on bullets - Approximately $140m in one year
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
Millions spent on bullets - Approximately $140m in one year
Published: Sunday March 7, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
ARMING THE police force is not cheap.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Documents viewed under the Access to Information (ATI) Act have revealed that from August 2007 to September 2008, the police spent US$400,242 (J$35.925 million) to purchase ammunition, while ?840,750 (J$122.7 million) was used to purchase guns.
At today's rate of exchange, that amounts to approxi-mately $140 million on ammunition for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF)."
"The official document made mention of Taylor and Associates, an arms-brokering business in Lauderhill, Florida, that was at the centre of a major security blunder involving the JCF.
But the police argued that the botched deal with Taylor and Associates was a "first-time purchase".
Notwithstanding, senior operatives in the constabulary were embarrassed after US authorities advised them that they bad been buying bullets from an unlicensed dealer. That dealer - Lance Brooks - is now behind bars.
But not before the blunder cost Jamaican taxpayers close to US$61,000, as the State was only able to recover US$20,122 of the US$81,100 (approximately J$6 million at the time) that was paid to Brooks for 270,000 rounds of jacketed soft-point ammunition."
&
"The documents also revealed that the assistant commissioner of police for the Firearm and Tactical Training Unit, in conjunction with Police Headquarters Stores and Armoury, are responsible for ensuring that adequate stocks of bullets are available."
tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com
Jamaica Gleaner
Millions spent on bullets - Approximately $140m in one year
Published: Sunday March 7, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
ARMING THE police force is not cheap.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Documents viewed under the Access to Information (ATI) Act have revealed that from August 2007 to September 2008, the police spent US$400,242 (J$35.925 million) to purchase ammunition, while ?840,750 (J$122.7 million) was used to purchase guns.
At today's rate of exchange, that amounts to approxi-mately $140 million on ammunition for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF)."
"The official document made mention of Taylor and Associates, an arms-brokering business in Lauderhill, Florida, that was at the centre of a major security blunder involving the JCF.
But the police argued that the botched deal with Taylor and Associates was a "first-time purchase".
Notwithstanding, senior operatives in the constabulary were embarrassed after US authorities advised them that they bad been buying bullets from an unlicensed dealer. That dealer - Lance Brooks - is now behind bars.
But not before the blunder cost Jamaican taxpayers close to US$61,000, as the State was only able to recover US$20,122 of the US$81,100 (approximately J$6 million at the time) that was paid to Brooks for 270,000 rounds of jacketed soft-point ammunition."
&
"The documents also revealed that the assistant commissioner of police for the Firearm and Tactical Training Unit, in conjunction with Police Headquarters Stores and Armoury, are responsible for ensuring that adequate stocks of bullets are available."
tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
JG - Munster Road fallout -British cop replaced at police armoury
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
Munster Road fallout -British cop replaced at police armoury
Published: Sunday February 21, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
A senior crime fighter seems set to become the first casualty of the foul-up at the police armoury, which resulted in several guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition being stolen.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Paul Robinson has been stripped of the responsibility for the armoury and replaced by fellow ACP Donald Pusey."
"That facility is the focal point of the probe into 18 guns and almost 11,000 rounds of ammunition seized on Munster Road in eastern St Andrew nearly two weeks ago.
It is believed that the 18 guns - plus one seized at another location - and the ammunition were all smuggled out of the armoury.
A police sergeant, Russell Robinson, two civilians attached to the armoury, and a businessman are now facing multiple charges relating to the guns and ammunition."
&
"ACP Robinson lost some of his lustre after his name was linked to a foul-up, which saw the police sending millions of dollars to purchase ammunition from a convicted arms dealer in the United States.
While the arms dealer, Lance Brooks, was awaiting sentencing, investigators in the US searched a package from the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Firearms Coastal Security Branch with ACP Robinson's name on it."
_____
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com
Jamaica Gleaner
Munster Road fallout -British cop replaced at police armoury
Published: Sunday February 21, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
A senior crime fighter seems set to become the first casualty of the foul-up at the police armoury, which resulted in several guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition being stolen.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Paul Robinson has been stripped of the responsibility for the armoury and replaced by fellow ACP Donald Pusey."
"That facility is the focal point of the probe into 18 guns and almost 11,000 rounds of ammunition seized on Munster Road in eastern St Andrew nearly two weeks ago.
It is believed that the 18 guns - plus one seized at another location - and the ammunition were all smuggled out of the armoury.
A police sergeant, Russell Robinson, two civilians attached to the armoury, and a businessman are now facing multiple charges relating to the guns and ammunition."
&
"ACP Robinson lost some of his lustre after his name was linked to a foul-up, which saw the police sending millions of dollars to purchase ammunition from a convicted arms dealer in the United States.
While the arms dealer, Lance Brooks, was awaiting sentencing, investigators in the US searched a package from the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Firearms Coastal Security Branch with ACP Robinson's name on it."
_____
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com
Monday, February 8, 2010
JG - DSP questioned in gun probe
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
DSP questioned in gun probe
Published: Sunday February 7, 2010
A PROMINENT deputy superintendent (DSP) of police was interrogated yesterday for more than eight hours by senior detectives probing last Thursday's massive gun and ammunition find in the Munster Road community of eastern St Andrew.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"A senior a government official, as well as the police High Command, have confirmed that the DSP was taken into custody. Up to news time last night, he was still being questioned. There are allegations that he was picked up after his home was searched by his colleagues."
&
"Over 11,000 assorted rounds of ammunition and at least 19 guns, believed to have been stolen from the police armoury on Elletson Road, Kingston, were found at a home on Munster Road. A police sergeant who was assigned to the armoury was nabbed at the scene."
Jamaica Gleaner
DSP questioned in gun probe
Published: Sunday February 7, 2010
A PROMINENT deputy superintendent (DSP) of police was interrogated yesterday for more than eight hours by senior detectives probing last Thursday's massive gun and ammunition find in the Munster Road community of eastern St Andrew.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"A senior a government official, as well as the police High Command, have confirmed that the DSP was taken into custody. Up to news time last night, he was still being questioned. There are allegations that he was picked up after his home was searched by his colleagues."
&
"Over 11,000 assorted rounds of ammunition and at least 19 guns, believed to have been stolen from the police armoury on Elletson Road, Kingston, were found at a home on Munster Road. A police sergeant who was assigned to the armoury was nabbed at the scene."
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