Following considerable public pressure for police officers to be equipped with body-worn cameras, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has announced that 1,000 units are scheduled to be delivered in the coming weeks.

There was much uproar by the public in recent days, following the police killing of 22-year-old Jamar Farquharson in Clarendon on September 15.

A video recording from his house shows him opening his front door with his hands raised in apparent surrender. Additional footage appears to show police tampering with or attempting to disable surveillance cameras at the residence. Farquharson was reportedly killed inside his bedroom.

The police claim that Farquharson was shot after pointing a gun at officers.

In a statement Thursday, the JCF reaffirmed its commitment to modern policing and accountability, noting that the government has invested billions of dollars to support the widespread use of body-worn cameras.

“There should be no question in anyone’s mind about whether the JCF is in support of their use. The Government of Jamaica has invested billions of tax dollars to create the ecosystem necessary to make their deployment widespread, and the JCF has embraced their role in accountability and modern policing,” the police said in a statement Thursday.

The JCF also asserted that operational decisions regarding the deployment and use of body-worn cameras remained entirely under its control, not the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).

The statement follows sustained criticism from rights groups and the Office of the Public Defender, demanding answers over the September 15 shooting of Farquharson at his home in Cherry Tree Lane.

In a strongly worded statement, the JCF described the shooting as “deeply unfortunate” and extended condolences to Farquharson’s family but stressed that the facts must be established through an independent investigation.

“ …The situation is most regrettable. However, the facts of what took place on that day are to be conclusively determined by an independent investigation,” the JCF stated.

Meanwhile, INDECOM is investigating four police killings that occurred over 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday—three in St Catherine and one in St Andrew.

So far this year, 230 people have been killed by members of the security forces, with 20 deaths recorded in September alone. 

There were 189 police fatal shootings in 2024.