Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KINGSTON1813
2007-12-31 18:40:00
SECRET
Embassy Kingston
Cable title:  

JAMAICA: COMMISSIONER OF POLICE TOP PRIORITY IS

Tags:  SNAR PREL AA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #1813/01 3651840
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 311840Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5778
INFO RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMIN SAN JUAN PR
RUCNFB/FBI WASHINGTON DC
S E C R E T KINGSTON 001813 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL/LP BOZZOLO, BROWN, INL/C KOHN, WHA/CAR
TILGHMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2017
TAGS: SNAR PREL AA
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: COMMISSIONER OF POLICE TOP PRIORITY IS
FIGHTING CORRUPTION

REF: KINGSTON 1805

Classified By: CDA James T. Heg, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

S E C R E T KINGSTON 001813

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL/LP BOZZOLO, BROWN, INL/C KOHN, WHA/CAR
TILGHMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2017
TAGS: SNAR PREL AA
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: COMMISSIONER OF POLICE TOP PRIORITY IS
FIGHTING CORRUPTION

REF: KINGSTON 1805

Classified By: CDA James T. Heg, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: One of Commissioner Lewin's first
official acts on December 17, the day he took office, was
to approve the proposed Anti-Corruption Strategy Paper,
presented by the new Anti-Corruption Division Chief. In a
meeting with NAS Director on December 19 (Reftel),and
again in his inaugural press conference on December 20,
Commissioner Lewin commented that fighting corruption
within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) was one of his
top priorities. Lewin further asked for U.S. financial
support for this endeavor, particularly the Anti-Corruption
Division's Undercover Unit. NAS is working with the Core
U.S. Law Enforcement Working Group at Post to determine
what U.S. assets could be engaged. End Summary.

Anti Corruption Strategy Paper


2. (S) The strategy paper was developed by the new
Anti-Corruption Division Chief and a subject matter expert
on anti-corruption from the London Metropolitan Police
(MET). (Note NAS funding was used to engage the services
of the MET). It calls for a bifurcated structure for the
Division - one unit made up of Jamaican Police Officers who
will handle low level corruption cases, i.e. traffic stop
bribes, other minor bribery and extortion schemes being
conducted by low-ranking officers; the other unit, which
will be covert/undercover, would ideally be staffed by a
team of foreign law enforcement officers/analysts (target
nations are U.S., UK, and Canada) experienced in
anti-corruption cases. The only link between the
undercover unit and the outside world will be the
Anti-Corruption Division Chief, ACP Justin Felice, who is a
British Police Officer currently serving in the JCF. The
strategy also has a public education/awareness plan, as
well as development of a better internal reporting
structure for the JCF. Both Commissioner Lewin and Felice
are hopeful that given Lewin's take over of the JCF that
not only will the public be more comfortable reporting on
bribery and extortion activities by the police, but that
JCF officers also will begin to come forward to report on

the dirty cops within their ranks.

Undercover Unit's Operations


3. (S) If Felice's plan is followed, the Undercover Unit
would be made up of four British officers/analysts, two
U.S. officers (one analyst, one investigator) and two
Canadian officers. The only "Jamaican" police officer who
would have direct access to the Unit's analysis is Felice.
The Unit's primary focus is to develop and analyze
intelligence on corrupt cops under investigation. Target
selection for the Unit will be determined by the Tasking
Committee. Given the extent of the corruption within the
JCF, cases may have arms trafficking, money laundering,
drug smuggling, and human trafficking links. The Unit's
investigators and analysts would have the ability to task
both covert and overt assets of the JCF and Jamaica Defence
Force. It is the Jamaican assets who would collect bank
records, perform surveillance, effect arrests etc. Members
of the Foreign Team would sit on the oversight and
governance committee and on the tasking committee to ensure
that standards of performance for the Jamaican assets are
being adhered to; and, the activities of the Unit would be
completely segregated from the regular Anti-Corruption
Division's activities.


4. (S) If there is a link to police corruption, any
information developed by the Unit on public corruption
involving GOJ officials would be handled by the Unit.
Other corruption cases with no police link will be
handled outside the Unit. The sources and methods used to
develop evidence behind the Unit's firewall will
not be discoverable, nor would any member of the Unit be
expected to testify in a Jamaican court. For any
subsequent prosecution, the evidence chain begins once the
sanitized package leaves the Unit for action. The
expectation is that the foreign members of the Unit would
agree to the extent they are legally capable to
share any intelligence they are able to glean from their
own systems. Felice, although a British national,
understands that the current MOU that governs law
enforcement sharing between the U.S., UK, and Canada may
necessitate his absenting himself from certain meetings and
that he may not have access to certain information.


Undercover Unit needs International Support


5. (S) Once established, the Undercover Unit would be
governed by a multi-national Governance Board, and tasking
of its operations would come also come from a separate
multi-national Tasking Committee. Note: the U.S., UK and
Canada have all been asked to participate in these boards
and to provide funding for the undercover units members.
If U.S. law enforcement were to participate in staffing the
Unit, we would have the ability to task and collect
evidence for use in U.S. prosecutions. Both Felice and
Commissioner Lewin have requested U.S., UK and Canadian
financial support for the Unit. It is an acknowledgment of
how pervasive the corruption is in the JCF that the
organization is seeking outside members to form the
undercover Unit.


Potential use of Task Force Building by Anti-Corruption


6. (S) Because of its undercover nature, Felice has been
very concerned about finding an appropriately secure yet
remote location to house the Unit. One option that he and
the new Commissioner have mulled over was to put the Unit
on the grounds of the Jamaica Defence Force. However, that
doesn't seem to be a realistic solution. An additional
option currently under discussion is to transfer the
underutilized Airport Interdiction Task Force Building
temporarily to the Anti-Corruption Division. (a further
discussion of these deliberations available in Septel) The
Task Force would continue to operate as it has done since
its inception out of the Airport terminal. In her December
19 meeting with Commissioner Lewin, the NAS Director raised
this possibility. As the Task Force Building would really
make an ideal office for the Unit, and as the Task Force
staff have not fully embraced the space, it was NAS
recommendation to Lewin that the building be transferred to
Anti-Corruption. The final decision rests with the
Commissioner.



7. (S) Comment: The design of the Strategy is
comprehensive but a comprehensive plan is not enough. What
makes this initiative different than others that have come
before, is that Lewin has given his full public support to
the Unit's mission. Lewin, unlike his predecessor, truly
wants to bring about change to the JCF. In his previous
life as Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, Lewin
showed that he has little toleration for corruption. It is
Lewin's own support and strength of resolve to
fundamentally change the JCF, combined with Felice's
experience in fighting corruption in the Northern Ireland
Constabulary that will be the real key to the Division's
success. Given the ability of the U.S. to influence the
tasking for the Unit and its further capability to tap into
intelligence and evidentiary sources that heretofore were
perhaps not available, careful consideration should be
given to funding this Unit. Its design and function could
provide a win-win for U.S. law enforcement. End Comment

JOHNSON