Les Green fires back - charging that JCF report was an 'injustice' and 'tarnished' the reputation of his men at the time

Les Green, the retired head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's (JCF) Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB), has fired back at criticisms from a special committee appointed by the police to review some of the findings of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry, charging that it was an "injustice" and "tarnished" the reputation of his men at the time.

The JCF committee asserted, in its report that was made public this week, that the CIB had responsibility for the conduct of investigations during the May 2010 operations in west Kingston to capture drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

"Records that were made should have been obtained, acted on and preserved by the CIB," the committee, chaired by Assistant Commissioner Wray Palmer, said in its report.

The nine-member panel said, too, it found it "incomprehensible" that Green, who was head of the CIB at the time, never gave evidence before the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry "on the recovery of dead bodies, their identification and evidence gathering regarding the allegations of extrajudicial killings."

However, in an open letter to Police Commissioner George Quallo, Green said the operational plan crafted by the JCF for the 2010 incursion did not give the CIB or himself the responsibility for investigating the use of force by members of the security forces.

According to him, the retrieval and identification of bodies were the responsibilities of the police Scenes of Crime Unit and the Bureau of Special Investigations.

False and misleading statements

The retired assistant commissioner said, as stated in the JCF plan, the CIB was charged with conducting searches, making arrests, gathering evidence, processing Coke and other significant suspects who may be arrested or detained.

"The duties and responsibilities for these activities were promptly and fully undertaken by CIB personnel and myself," he said, in the letter, which was sent to the Press Association of Jamaica yesterday.

Green charged that the JCF review report contained false and misleading statements.

"This JCF internal review document has tarnished us all with an injustice that must be immediately addressed," he said, in reference to the men and women assigned to the CIB at the time.