Inspection and Monitoring Officers from the Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) will commence inspections of the largest Prisoners in Custody (PIC) stations in each of the five divisions that comprise Area 4, beginning March 14.
The stations are Port Royal (Kingston Eastern Division); Denham Town (Kingston Western Division); Central (Kingston Central Division); Hunts Bay (St. Andrew South Division); and Half Way Tree (St. Andrew Central Division).
The main objective of these inspections is to assess the various administrative practices at PIC stations with the highest prisoner population within all the divisions in the Area. This will identify any weaknesses and deficiencies that may prevail and allow the authority to propose recommendations to address the same.
The scope of these inspections will include looking at the extent to which the division has been complying with the policies and procedures of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as it relates to the maintenance of various PIC records, lock-up management, adherence to safety and security measures and resources among other areas.
Under the PCOA Act of 2005, the PCOA is responsible for the inspection of police stations, lock-ups and other agencies of the JCF. PIC inspections form part of the annual inspection schedule.