Clarendon cops under probe

BY T K WHYTE Sunday Observer correspondent editorial@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, September 07, 2008

MAY PEN, Clarendon - Two police constables assigned to the Clarendon divisional headquarters in May Pen have been pulled from the streets and assigned desk duties, as the police anti-corruption branch investigates allegations that they stole two kilogrammes of cocaine from a motorist.

The cocaine had a street value of $800,000.

Commanding officer for Clarendon, Superintendent Dayton Henry, who confirmed the report, told the Sunday Observer that he would be asking Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin to convene a special panel of officers to deal with the case immediately.

"I can positively confirm that report. They have been taken off frontline duties and have been confined to desk duties," Henry told the Sunday Observer yesterday. "Investigations are being done in earnest as we speak. We have collected some statements and some physical exhibits in the matter, which we have turned over to the anti-corruption branch to complete the probe."

Allegations are that about 3:00 pm on September 2, the two cops intercepted a car along Manchester Street in May Pen. The police said the car was being driven by a "businesswoman", whom they declined to name. The two cops allegedly searched the vehicle and found two kilos of cocaine neatly packaged. However, instead of arresting her for the illegal drug, the cops allegedly seized the cocaine and sent her on her way.

The woman immediately reported the matter to the police.

According to Superintendent Henry, investigations revealed that the woman had gone to sell the cocaine to her pre-arranged contact. The customer did not immediately have all the funds ($800,000) to purchase the drug, and the businesswoman refused to leave the cocaine.

"So the purchaser, not feeling happy that the vendor took back the cocaine, called his police friends, set them up to intercept the woman [and] take the cocaine from her and bring it back to them," Henry alleged. "The policemen received strong information on the woman from their underworld friends about what vehicle she was driving and where she would likely be going."

Asked why the cops had not been arrested and charged, Henry said that although the report was strongly against the two constables, they cannot be criminally charged for stealing an illegal substance. Therefore, their charge must be for something other than simple larceny of cocaine.

"You cannot charge a person criminally for stealing anything that is prescribed in the statutes as being illegal," said Henry. "Therefore, when the investigations are completed - and that will be very early - we will be asking the commissioner of police to convene a special panel of officers to promptly deal with the matter so that he can take a decision on the fate of these allegedly corrupt police constables."