Police Being Paid Big Time To Facilitate Illegal Parties

With the introduction of the Covid-19 protocols that have been put in place to restrict the hosting of events such as parties and Dances, there has been reportedly being a hike in the Police being paid off to allow such illegal get-togethers to continue.

According to the Jamaica Observer who initially brought the story, some promoters said they have forked out up to 60,000 dollars and hand over to officers to not lock their event off.

In the case where these promotors keeping the illegal parties do not want to be seen and heard, they have employed methods such as keeping the parties underground, using blue tooth speakers to regulate the noise and using lookout men to evade the lawmen.

One promoter said that he had to pay a group of Officers $20,000 each not to lock off their event as well as to ensure that no other police does, while another illegal event host says that he had an experience where he had to give two Cops 4 thousand dollars each, in addition with food and liquor to have the event they were keeping stay running.

Not every promoter that came forward and spoke to the Jamaica Observer had the same positive experience however, as one party host said they paid off Police who went away and sent other officers to lock off their event.

According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Inspectorate and Professional standards oversight Bureau, McArthur Sutherland; allegations against the Police doing such things have never been reported however, their team is ready to act, once the information presented to them is credible.

Another point of information that ACP Sutherland placed out there for promotors is for them to have their situation reported before any soliciting takes place for them to best handle matters of the sort.

The Assistant Commissioner Of the Police also said that there is a tip line available for persons to call and report police misconduct, whenever it occurs and as such he has encouraged the promoters to contact them with identifying information of the officers, involved in the soliciting on making their report.

ACP Sutherland concluded by warning against persons keeping illegal parties for their safety, as well as the safety of their families and communities.

According to a report made by Minister Of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond Mckenzie over 600 illegal events were kept last year July, after the Prime Minister announced the new Disaster Risk Management Act laws that prohibited events from being held.