(C) IN ITS FIRST THREE MONTHS THE NEW

S E C R E T KINGSTON 000351 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/LP BOZZOLO, BROWN STATE FOR WHA/CAR TILGHMAN WHA/PPC JBISCHOFF E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2018 TAGS: SNAR PREL JM SUBJECT: (C) IN ITS FIRST THREE MONTHS THE NEW ANTI-CORRUPTION BRANCH OF THE JAMAICA CONSTABULARY FORCE ARRESTS 27 OFFICERS AND TWO CIVILIANS. Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE JAMES T. HEG FOR REASON 1.4(B&D) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In its first three months, the new Anti-Corruption Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force has arrested 27 officers and two civilians for corruption, a 100% increase over last year,s moribund performance by the Branch,s predecessor organization. The new Branch Chief, Justin Felice, admits that these arrests were &low hanging fruit8 however, he is pleased nonetheless. One of the Branch,s best weapons is the fear of detection, and these arrests have sent ripples through the Force. The Branch needs additional human resources and funding for equipment and operational expenses. NAS Kingston requests $900,000 in additional INL funding to support the Branch,s operations. Through participation in this project alongside the UK and Canada, U.S. law enforcement would be able to use the information gleaned to launch and advance cases with a U.S. nexus, such as money laundering, drug trafficking, and human and weapons smuggling. End Summary. Operation Arena ============ ¶2. (S) The Branch will soon launch Operation Arena, which is a joint initiative of the Governments of Jamaica, Canada the UK and the U.S. The UK has already committed U.S. 1.0 million to the project to finance the start-up expenses for the Branch,s Undercover Unit. The Branch has already identified and will soon hire an effective Jamaican, Maj. Dave Anderson, the former Special Advisor to Minister of National Security Peter Phillips, to act as the Unit,s Chief Executive Officer, allowing the Branch Chief to concentrate on planning operations. The Branch has also identified an MI5 officer, and received a provisional commitment from MI5 to release him for duty in Jamaica to participate in Arena. Three additional British officers are slated to join the Unit later this year, funding permitting. The Unit needs four additional officers and the Chief has requested that the USG provide one analyst and one investigator to the Operation. Branch arrests 29 in first three months ============================ ¶3. (C) In the interim, until the Undercover Unit is operational and able to conduct secret investigations against the most senior officers within the Force, the Branch Chief, Justin Felice, has strategically gone after as many easy cases as he can to show that the Branch is active. On his own, Felice has nearly completed investigations into two senior level officers (a Superintendent and Senior Superintendent) for criminal misconduct, obstruction of justice, and bribery. One of the Branch,s primary goals is to create a real fear of detection within the JCF and among those who seek to corrupt the police. Low level corruption will continue to be targeted by the overt unit of the Anti-Corruption Branch. However until Senior Officers are brought to justice by the Undercover Unit, public confidence will not improve. Justification for additional INCLE funding ============================== ¶4. (SBU) Because of budget cuts suffered over the last two fiscal years, NAS Kingston,s budget is now at an all time low and pipeline funds are nearly exhausted. FY07 funding for all our Interdiction and Law Enforcement programs was a mere U.S. $ 500,000, which is less than half of the program funding we received in FY04 and 05. There is no pipeline for law enforcement available in NAS-Kingston,s FY07 program funds, and only small amounts remain for Interdiction. The picture for FY08 is similarly bleak and current demands already exceed anticipated funds. Although FY09 looks more promising, the recent pass back from OMB cut $600,000 from the Secretary,s submission for Jamaica, shows that funding in the latter years of this program will be additionally difficult to come by. Unless NAS Kingston reprograms all available FY08 and most of FY09 funding for this one project, U.S. participation in this Unit will not occur. 5). (SBU) Kingston therefore requests an increase in funding in the following amounts: FY08: 400,000 FY09: 300,000 * FY10: 200,000 * * note the reduction in funds needed in the out years is based on the assumption that planned increases requested by INL result in higher overall program funds for NAS-Kingston Justification for Program ================== ¶6. (C) Corruption within the Jamaica Constabulary Force is endemic. The Anti Corruption Branch was reconstituted in September 2007 through the recruitment and hiring of an experienced anti-corruption crime fighter from the Northern Ireland Ombudsman,s Office, Justin Felice. The Government of Jamaica and the newly appointed Commissioner of Police recognize that the Branch will not make headway against senior officers who are involved in corrupt and criminal activities, unless its investigative and analytical talents are augmented by external officers. It is the hope of the new Jamaican leadership that through Operation Arena a thorough housecleaning at the top will occur and the JCF will be a more professional, more accountable force that will better serve both Jamaican and USG interest in stemming crime and corruption. (Reftel) In addition, given the undeniable linkages between crime and politics in Jamaica, it is anticipated that the investigations against high-ranking police officers could provide evidence that could be used for broader prosecutions of public officials for corruption. ¶7. (C) The Government of Jamaica and the Jamaican Private Sector, which bear 2/3 of the cost of the salary and benefits for Felice, do not have the funding capacity to recruit the additional eight international investigators/analysts needed for this program. Without them, the single British officer who heads the Branch, Felice, will not succeed. The Government of Jamaica has therefore turned to its international partners, the U.S., UK, and Canada for assistance to fund this endeavor. The UK has already committed U.S. 1.0 million to the project for start-up expenses, and both the UK and Canada have committed to providing officers to the Unit. These governments are currently seeking funding from to go forward with this project. Description of Unit ============== ¶8. (S) Through NAS Kingston sponsorship, in the 4Q of 2007, the new Branch Chief worked with a subject matter expert from the London Metropolitan Police, to develop a three-year strategy document, that includes a work plan for the Branch, an organizational chart that defines tasking and governance authority and creates an adequate fire wall between the Branch,s overt and undercover assets, that will protect the undercover assets from discovery during any administrative or criminal proceedings that are launched in the future. (Reftel) The international investigators will work in secret and the only link between them and the broader JCF Anti-Corruption Branch will be through sanitized reports and investigative tasking orders passed through Felice. The Unit will have tasking and priority setting authority over both undercover and overt assets of the Jamaican Security Establishment to advance its investigation. These assets are: the Financial Investigative Branch, the Jamaica Defence Force Military Intelligence Unit, the Jamaica Constabulary Force Narcotics Police, the Jamaican Custom Service,s Contraband Enforcement Team, the Jamaican Immigration Service, etc. Through these assets, the Unit will have access to bank records, company records, wire tap information, surveillance photos/reports, etc. The U.S. members of the Unit will be able to use the information gleaned to launch and advance cases with a U.S. nexus, such as money laundering, drug trafficking, and human and weapons smuggling. Information obtained regarding corruption outside the Jamaica Constabulary Force will be acted upon by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Anti-Corruption, which slated for approval by Parliament in the 2Q of 2008. Program Goal ========== ¶9. (C) To strengthen the investigative and analytical capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force,s Anti-Corruption Branch,s Undercover Unit. Provide U.S. law enforcement access to sensitive intelligence gleaned by the Unit, which will advance U.S. investigations of money laundering, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and weapons smuggling that occurs with the complicity of Jamaica Constabulary Force officers. Program Objective ============== ¶10. (C) Augment the Branch,s current investigative capacity to ensure the dismissal and/or prosecution of corrupt Jamaican police officers, through the recruitment and hiring of two U.S. law enforcement advisors (one investigator, one analyst) who will be assigned to the Jamaica Constabulary Force Anti-Corruption Branch,s Undercover Unit and who will work as part of an international team of investigators and analysts (four British, two Canadian). Timeframe for Launch of Unit ====================== ¶11. (C) The JCF Anti-Corruption Branch plans to launch the Undercover Unit,s activities in June or July of 2008. ¶12. (U) F-OBJ: Governing Justly and Democratically ) To support policies and programs that accelerate and strengthen public institutions and the creation of a more vibrant local government. (U) Program Area: (2) Good Governance (U) Program Element: (2.4) Anti-Corruption Reforms (U) Program Sub-Element: (2.4.4) Anti-Corruption Enforcement ¶13. (U) Available Post Resources: FY08 INCLE/Law Enforcement: 200,000 FY09 INCLE/Law Enforcement: 300,000 ¶14. (U) MSP Goal: Democratic Systems and Practices Performance Goal ============== ¶15. (U) The Jamaica Constabulary Force Becomes more accountable, with internal disciplinary structures that are ration, fair and transparent, which actually support the investigation, dismissal, and prosecution of corrupt police officers of all ranks. The USG is able to use its participation in the Anti-Corruption Branch to leverage sensitive investigative information and augment and advance corruption cases with a nexus to the U.S, e.g. money laundering, drug seizures, weapons smuggling. ¶16. (U) MSP Target: FY08/09 Target: Assist the GOJ to implement anti-corruption measures that actually result in the dismissal and/or prosecution of corrupt police officers regardless of rank. HEG