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25 per cent spike in civilian killings by the security forces

Published:Thursday | October 8, 2020 | 6:52 PM
Campbell ... We have observed a greater police and JDF engagement, encountering armed criminals, brazenly committing armed robberies.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has raised an alarm over the number of incidents where criminals violently attacked members of the security forces.

This has contributed to a spike in the number of civilians killed by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) from January to September this year.

According to INDECOM, over the period, 84 people were killed by members of the security forces.

This is 25 per cent more than the 67 people killed in encounters with members of the security forces over the similar period last year.

For all of 2019, police and soldiers shot and killed 86 civilians during confrontations.

"We have observed a greater police and JDF engagement,  encountering armed criminals, brazenly committing armed robberies and persons being shot in front of them and gunmen being intercepted," said deputy commissioner of INDECOM, Hamesh Campbell.

At the same time, he has offered condolences to family and members of the security forces who have been killed by gunmen.

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