Anderson: Low pay not fuelling police corruption

Poor salaries have been dismissed by Jamaica’s police chief as a contributor to corruption in the constabulary.

Major General Antony Anderson’s comments come in the wake of recent revelations of a police-led Ranko Gang based in Clarendon, with eight cops linked to the criminal organisation.

“There is absolutely no excuse for any police officer to get involved in this, and remuneration has nothing to do with this criminal activity whatsoever,” Anderson said at a Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) press conference on Tuesday.

“They are criminals, and in their criminal endeavours, more than likely they’ll make more money than we can ever pay them,” he added.

Police constables, the lowest rank within the JCF, earn approximately $80,000 monthly before taxes are deducted.

But Anderson said the “vast majority” of men and women in the force have not resorted to criminality and corruption to supplement their incomes.

“They work with what they have,” the JCF head said, noting that the Police High Command and the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file cops, have been lobbying the Holness administration for better working conditions for law enforcers.

Anderson said those circumstances are likely to come to ­fruition “if what the Government has been saying is any indication”.

The police agreed, in February, to accept the Government’s wage offer after months of negotiations. The package includes a four per cent increase in wages and salary-related allowances for the contract period April 1, 202,1 to March 31, 2022.

The police also responded to reports from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) that there were no disciplinary hearings reported for cases it submitted between January 2018 and June 2021.

Eighty INDECOM reports were submitted to the JCF within that period, with recommendations for disciplinary proceedings to be considered and/or instituted for 108 officers.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Richard Stewart, who is in charge of administration, said on Tuesday that 360 charges were brought against officers last year as a result of internal disciplinary proceedings. Three hundred and fourteen ended in convictions.

He said the re-enlistment of 17 members was refused because of disciplinary concerns, while 46 hearings were conducted.

“However, the representation from INDECOM was not that significant, and that is due to inherent difficulties arising from how the investigations that INDECOM presented started in the first instance,” the deputy commissioner said.

He said of the 80 reports submitted by INDECOM, only four have been heard, three of which remain incomplete.

“That notwithstanding, many of the cases have been dealt with informally, meaning that the members were warned,” Richards said.