Orville Taylor | Police killings again

Unlike the stomach, the brain has no pain sensors. As a result, only the former knows when it is empty. Despite my ‘arithmisickness’ developed in high school; numbers are an amazing tool when analysing reality.

The problem is, that numbers by themselves are totally useless, unless the brain is properly engaged and we know exactly what it is that they represent. For example, the statistics which say that 84 per cent of our people believe our politicians are corrupt; does not mean that four out of every five of them are. What is measured is trust and belief; not facts.

This is the same for violence and other deviance data. Thus, we may often conflate and mistake ‘homicide’ and ‘murder’. Inasmuch as all murders are homicides; the reverse is not true. In its simplest term homicide is the taking of the life of a human being by another. Within the statistics are a range of mitigating and qualification factors. Thus, we may find manslaughter or justifiable homicide, where there is absolutely no crime, because the threshold bearing in mind The UN, the common law, and the Jamaican security forces’ use of deadly force policy, all of the legal parameters and prerequisites have been met, so that the killer is completely exonerated.

We live in a country governed by legal guidelines, which are designed not only to catch and punish the guilty but importantly, also to protect the innocent. Given all of this, when we try to understand the homicide rates, including those committed by criminals, licensed firearm holders, and all the security forces, we must be absolutely certain as to what it is we are talking about, because God designed us with two ears and two eyes. Therefore, we must listen and observe far more than we chat.

PARADOX

Jamaica is a paradox. Doubtless, we are among the most hospitable people, and at the same time among the most homicidal. At 61 per 1,000,000, in 2023, we have consistently ranked among the ‘killingest’. With around 70 per cent of killings performed by young men between the ages of 16 and 24 and a similar statistic for gang related offenders, it might be surprising that outside of these categories, we are relatively peaceful.

Let us start from an ethical position, that all life is sacred and should not be taken except in protection of the life of others. Inasmuch as my blood boils when the worst of murders and even acts of rape and other heinous crimes are committed, I do not support the death penalty.

Of course, being human (therefore, 99 per cent chimpanzee) my primordial instincts are triggered and the blood lust rises on those occasions. However, it is no different from when a modern-day Eve offers me an apple after she has put her mouth on it. Emotions and desire do not one’s make actions right.

Killing a suspect, who emptied his gun at you and then drops it; is murder. Being in possession of a firearm with multiple bodies on it, does not justify your being killed, unless you are pointing or reaching for it, when facing another, including the security forces.

So far this year we have seen 163 deaths at the hands of the Jamaican constabulary. Already more than the 155 from 2023, with another six weeks left in the year, it is indeed cause for concern. Whatever be the explanation; the taking of even one single life is regrettable.

Understandably, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is concerned and is reiterating its call for the compulsory wearing of body cameras. All well-thinking Jamaicans have to support this cry. Yet, among those who want to see a reduction of this statistic is a set of ‘eyes wide shut’ people, who loosely throw around words like, ‘extrajudicial’ and ‘unjustified’.

RECKLESS

It is reckless, careless and even unpatriotic, to create narratives, which are either untrue or improperly understood. This is not dissimilar to some of the persecution exaggerations here regarding certain vulnerable groups. Worse, often, those to whom the negative messages are directed actually have worse records.

In Jamaica, we are fortunate to have not only internal scrutiny within the constabulary, army and correctional services. We also have a very active and competent Independent Commission of Investigations which has no equivalent in the western hemisphere, including our main ally, critic and template, the US.

In previous columns, it was noted that the ratio of law enforcement officers who were killed by criminal elements, versus those taken out by them, between 2000 and 2016, was 1:17. These figures were identical for the US and Jamaica. It might be interesting to note that American data from then to now show a steady increase in police killings.

From 981 in 2017, to 999 in 2019, to 1,048 in 2021, it reached 1,164 last year. At 950 at the end of September, the numbers are likely to follow the same gradient.

When the data for Jamaica is compared, there are several critical observations. First, most of the police personnel killed in Jamaica are murdered while not on duty. Hence, they clearly are deliberately targeted. Logically, in a country with a high homicide rate; it follows that violent responses by the security forces would also be high. Second, most of those killed by police are during ‘planned operations’, in pursuit of credible information. Third, there is often recovery of firearms.

On the other hand, most civilians killed up north, are during routine stops with limited recovery of firearms.

Finally, we have robust mechanisms here to determine whether or not a killing is classified as ‘unjustified’. For good measure, we should look at the total number of killer police officers in the US, who have been criminally charged during the period, juxtaposed against our local numbers.

Mark you! This is in no way denying that some of the killings are likely cold-blooded murders.

However, we need facts and not hysteria as we try to solve the problem.

Dr Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.