QUALLO CHANGES TONE
Top cop, JCF accept West Kgn commission report
Police Commissioner George Quallo has declared that the Jamaica Constabulary Force accepts the report of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry.
The stance, revealed late Saturday night in a force statement quoting Quallo, followed the intervention of National Security Minister Robert Montague as public outrage intensified over a JCF administrative review report that questioned the integrity of the commission of enquiry and cleared senior police personnel of wrongdoing.
... Named cops no longer leading operations – Quallo
IN AN apparent attempt to quell tensions around the recent release of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) administrative review of its role in the 2010 operation in Tivoli Gardens, Police Commissioner George Quallo has declared, in no uncertain terms, that the force accepts the report of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry.
The stance, revealed late Saturday night in a force statement quoting Quallo, followed the intervention of National Security Minister Robert Montague as public outrage intensified over the JCF review report that questioned the integrity of the commission of enquiry and cleared senior police personnel of wrongdoing.
Quallo, however, remained silent on whether the review report would be withdrawn.
“[The] Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), as an arm of the State, remains in one accord with the Government, and accepts the report of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry,” read the statement issued Saturday night.
It followed a Friday statement in which the commissioner reiterated his support for the administrative review report while also revealing that the Jamaica Police Federation and Police Officers’ Association were backing him.
But within 24 hours, Quallo, who the public defender has said is “severely compromised”, had adjusted his tone after meeting with Montague, who was reportedly instructed by the Cabinet to get the police to change its position.
ALWAYS UNIFIED
According to the commissioner, “it must never be construed that the police and the State are not in unison” and that “the JCF stands ready to accept fully the responsibility of its action”.
He added that the force has been implementing some of the recommendations of the enquiry, including the use of body cameras and training in human and constitutional rights.
Before the MontagueQuallo meeting, Dr Horace Chang, another Cabinet minister, had said the JCF’s review report was “not good” and would not be accepted by the administration.
Five cops – Assistant Commissioner Donovan Graham, Superintendent Everton Tabannah, Inspector Mario Pratt, Sergeant Steve Waugh and Assistant Commissioner Winchroy Budhoo, who died last May – were named in last year’s West Kingston Commission of Enquiry report as people who should not lead or participate in internal security operations after the commissioners accepted they may have been derelict in their duties. THE NINE-MEMBER Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) administrative review committee, which was chaired by Assistant Commissioner Wray Palmer and included former Director of Public Prosecutions Kent Pantry, said there was no evidence of wrongdoing and accused the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry’s commissioners of being biased, confused and engaging in speculation. Police Commissioner George Quallo said Saturday night that the police personnel named by the commission “are no longer working in operational roles”. While Assistant Commissioner Donovan Graham recently took up leadership of Area One, which includes the crimetorn parishes of St James and Westmoreland, Quallo said that that position does not include operational duties. Last Friday, the JCF head said he was sending the administrative review report to the Gordon Shirley-chaired Police Service Commission to look into whether police personnel were derelict in their duties during the 2010 Tivoli operation.