JCF reviews enforcement operations

THE JAMAICA Constabulary Force (JCF) has announced several changes in the way it collaborates with other state agencies to conduct enforcement operations.

The changes came after the Police High Command, in a statement released yesterday, conceded that the level of force deployed for the Digicel raid earlier this month "was out of proportion with what was required for such operation".

On May 4, police personnel armed with high-powered rifles accompanied representatives from the Tax Administration Department to Digicel's New Kingston offices to execute a search order.

The show of force drew widespread criticisms.

"The Police High Command wishes to apologise to the management of Digicel and the members of staff for any undue anxiety and fear caused by the presence of armed police personnel on the day in question," the statement said.

Late yesterday, the telecommunications company responded to the JCF's about-face with one sentence, saying "the management and staff of Digicel would like to thank the Police High Command for its apology and for conducting its investigation in a timely manner".

As part of the changes, the High Command said it will now insist on getting more information from these state agencies "to enable us to conduct a proper risk assessment to determine the level of force to be deployed".