INDECOM rings body-cam alarm again as police killings spike by 111%
Published:Thursday | August 7, 2025 | 12:11 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
With police fatal shootings increasing by 111 per cent for the first seven months of 2025 compared to last year, the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is continuing to express grave concern about the non-use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by lawmen.
A breakdown of the statistics obtained by The Gleaner shows that 28 people were shot and killed by the the security forces in July, while nine were shot and injured.
The number of persons killed during alleged confrontations with the police in July is just two more than the 26 recorded in June.
Completing the monthly statistics since the start of the year are 28 killed in January, 28 in February, 25 in March, 30 in April, and 25 in May.
According to INDECOM, at the end of July, the security forces recorded a total of 190 fatal shootings, compared to the 90 persons killed during the first seven months of last year.
The death toll up to July 2025 is one more that the total for all of 2024, when 189 people were shot and killed by the police.
INDECOM has indicated that in examining the 12-month period, July 18, 2024 to July 18, 2025, some 288 persons were shot and killed by the security forces and no body-worn cameras had been used by JCF members in any of the fatal incidents.
As at August 4, INDECOM said 191 fatalities were on the books, with only a single incident recorded up to that date.
In the latest recorded incident, about 8:30 p.m. in Harding Hall, Hanover, on Emancipation Day, an unidentified male was shot and injured during an alleged confrontation with the police.
He was assisted to the Noel Holmes Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“Despite their availability, through procurement of BWCs and the infrastructure supporting the technology, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has failed to make them routine in planned operations, where they are most essential – incidents involving the potential loss of lives,” INDECOM said in a release. “Although reported infrastructure issues have delayed full implementation across the JCF, BWCs could still be deployed to record planned police operations in search of wanted individuals, yielding vital evidentiary value. In the majority of the current incidents, where men have been fatally shot, the police accounts illustrate that the officers are entering premises and are not faced, as asserted, with challenges of a rugged terrain or major tactical impediments which would hinder the use of current and available BWCs.”
INDECOM also said it recognised the dangers that can be faced by police personnel and the importance of apprehending wanted individuals, but accountability and transparency is non-negotiable in modern policing and ensuring that “right to life” is recognised.
“A recurring theme in the shooting incidents shows that weapons are alleged to have been pointed at officers, but in the absence of third-party eyewitnesses or video evidence, investigators are unable to verify or justify the use of lethal force,” INDECOM said. “Body-worn cameras are essential, not only for providing independent verification and evidence-gathering and ensuring public trust, but also for protecting officers against false allegations – and yet its deployment in planned police operations remains improperly prioritised, even with the noticeable increase in such instances.”
Year to date, a total of 41 police personnel have been charged in relation to investigations conducted by INDECOM over the 19-month period, January 1, 2024 to July 21, 2025.
Since 2024, a total of 10 JCF personnel and one Jamaica Defence Force soldier have been charged in relation to 10 fatal shooting cases.