Police High Command launches investigation into pepper spray altercation

The Police High Command has ordered an investigation into an incident, captured on video, depicting members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) embroiled in an altercation with members of the public. During the incident, Gleaner photographer Rudolph Brown was pepper sprayed by a policewoman.

Persons who witnessed or who were involved in the incident at the Silver Slipper Plaza in Cross Roads, St Andrew, on Tuesday, have been urged to contact the Inspectorate of Constabulary at 906-5325 or 754-8217 to share any information they may have.

A statement on Wednesday from the JCF's Corporate Communications Unit declared that they were committed to delivering professional services to members of the public as they seek to create safer communities.

ABUSE OF POWER

Condemnation of the pepper spraying of Brown during the incident has since come from a number of organisations, including the Media Association Jamaica Ltd (MAJ), which said, "The MAJ calls for a statement of reassurance that the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force believes in and supports freedom of our journalists to carry out their work on behalf of the Jamaican people."

The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) was instrumental in prompting an investigation into the matter, recommending that the High Command as well as the Independent Commission of Investigations look into reports of the police's assault on Brown.

In a statement, PAJ president Dionne Jackson Miller said the association condemns, unequivocally, the blatant abuse of force by the police and calls for an immediate investigation and response by the Police High Command and INDECOM.

Brown reported that he was in the Cross Roads area when he witnessed a commotion, which seemed to be caused by police attempts to arrest a man.

He subsequently took out his smart phone and began recording the incident. He was instructed by a police sergeant to stop recording, but he continued to record the incident after identifying himself as a media worker. The sergeant allegedly then told a constable to pepper spray him.

The constable complied, spraying the substance directly into Brown's eyes, causing him severe distress.