1 ST POLICE INVESTIGATORS TRAINING SEMINAR ON CORRUPTION “COMMITTAL PROCEEDINGS: IMPROVING THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE” SEPTEMBER 19, 2015 GREETINGS BY PROFESSOR TREVOR MUNROE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INTEGRITY ACTION; HONOURARY VISITING PROFESSOR, SIR ARTHUR LEWIS INSTITUTE (SALISES), Mona, UWI ( PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY ) Mr. Moderator, Commissioner, distinguished members of the Head Table, ladies and gentlemen allow me to first of all to welcome you and to apologise most sincerely for not being able to attend this weekend’s very important seminar on “The Committal Proceedings Act”. I would have loved to be here but for my having to attend a funeral of a dear friend. I was looking forward to the pleasure of renewing acquaintances, friendships and professional association with many of you whom I have known in one capacity or another over many years – either in the lecture room on the Mona Campus or through the Police Federation in relation to whose officers and members whom I preserve fund memories, having represented you in another capacity before an Arbitration Tribunal on salaries and compensation set up by the Government of Jamaica in the 1990s. I would have also liked to be here to share, informally perhaps, in between sessions your experiences and your feelings in carrying out what must now be among the most challenging responsibilities in Jamaica today, that is, policing duties. In that latter regard I would like to share some of the most recent findings relating to citizens attitude to the police. On the question of trust in the police, this reached an unprecedented height in 2012 where according to the very authoritative Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) there was a “significant, 16 – degree increase in trust in the p olice between 2010 and 2012”. However, the same report, co -authored by 1 (PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Professor Harriott and Dr. Balford Lewis of UWI Mona reported that “in 2014, however, citizens belief in the police declined by 10 points to 38.3 on the 100-point scale, the second lowest level of trust in the police since the first Americas Barometer Survey in Jamaica in 2006”. Obviously this decline is a matter of major concern, even as the 2012 increase in trust was a source of major encouragement. It would be very interesting to hear you reflections on what accounts for these numbers, most of all, what you along with organisations like NIA and citizens of good will need to do to rebuild and sustain trust in the police. There is a bit of very good news however from the same report, good news which regrettably we hardly hear about. In response to the question “are you very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the performance of the police in your neighbourhood?” What was the answer of the Jamaican people as recorded in the 2014 LAPOP Report? Fully 68% indicate that they are satisfied with the police and only 6% report “very dissatisfied”. This is encouraging and suggests that we all need to think about what is being done well in the neighbourhoods that may be replicated to increase trust at all levels. I would recommend that these findings which may be accessed online be the subject analysis and discussion in the force, perhaps in focus groups but certainly at the level of the high command. That is however for another occasion. This weekend you are focusing on the Committal Proceedings Act, under the theme, “Committal Proceedings: Improving the Administration of Justice”. As you know “justice delayed is justice denied” and one of the main findings of the Justice R eform Task Force (2007) related to the excessive delay in matters coming to trial. The Committal Proceedings Act (CPA) 2013 seeks to improve the efficiency of the operation of the Resident Magistrates’ Courts through the elimination of preliminary hearings and the Act introduces new rules for different players in the justice system in particular Clerks of Courts, Resident Magistrates and police investigators arising from these seminars two of many recommendations emerged, one, the need for a manual or guidi ng document for the various roles in the process and two, for this weekends’ 2 (PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
sensitization to be provided to police investigators. This weekends’ seminar therefore is the first of a series in which NIA hopes to provide training for up to three hundred members of the JCF who play an investigative role in the detection and prosecution of crime. This is but one, albeit veryimportant, element in NIA’s fulfilment of its mandate. That mandate as you know by now is to combat corruption and to enhance integrity in Jamaica by building public awareness but, as well, by strengthening the capacity of justice sector professionals, like yourselves, and institutions like the JCF in the prevention, investigation and punishment of corruption related crimes. We are therefore happy that each of has been able to take time off to participate in this seminar and we are confident that with your full engagement in the sessions to follow the outcome will be successful and conducive to your fulfilment of new responsibilities in the justice system. Given the stressful nature of your everyday activity, I do hope you will find some time to relax in between sessions. All the very best. 3 (PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
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