VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #1803/01 3542055
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 202055Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5762

UNCLAS KINGSTON 001803 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA/CAR FOR JTILGHMAN, INL/LP FOR BOZZOLO, BROWN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR ASEC PREL JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA'S NEW COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, REAR ADMIRAL 
LEWIN IS ALREADY MAKING WAVES 
 
REF: KINGSTON 1523 
 
¶1. Summary:  (SBU)  In just his first week in office 
Commissioner Hardley Lewin, a former Rear Admiral in the 
Jamaica Defence Force, has set a completely different tone 
for the office.  Cognizant of record murder rates and 
escalating violent crime, he deliberately eschewed a formal 
change of command ceremony in favor of quietly reporting for 
work on January 17, stating that "this country doesn't need 
one more ceremony, it needs me to go to work."  He has 
already met with his senior staff and discussed his plans for 
changing the organization, and the need for them to prepare 
for a much more devolved management style.  He has also sent 
several members on "long term leave" in anticipation of 
transfer.  In his first meeting with his staff Lewin 
cautioned them that a lack of discipline, corruption, and 
poor performance will not be tolerated.  Lewin is also 
actively participating in the Ministry of National Security's 
ongoing Strategic Review of the JCF, and wants to use the 
Review as a catalyst to push change throughout the 
organization.  End Summary 
 
Tackling the Crime Monster 
 
¶2. (C) One of Lewin's top priorities is to grapple with a 
spiraling murder rate, and an increase in other violent 
crimes, including some high-profile killings of JCF officers. 
 When asked about this in a meeting with the NAS Director on 
December 19, Lewin outlined a multi-faceted long-term 
strategy to tackle Jamaica's crime problem.  Stating that it 
is not just about "knocking heads" Lewin wants to change the 
"face" of policing in Jamaica.  The Jamaica Constabulary 
Force, in his opinion, continues to hold on to the 
para-military structure and mentality present from its 
inception.  In his view, when Jamaicans think about police, 
they think "corrupt criminals" and it is imperative that the 
Force take on board modern policing techniques that will 
begin to repair its relationship with the people it is 
supposed to serve and protect.  Lewin understands that the 
JCF alone can not tackle crime, the Force must win the trust 
of the population to really be successful.  In a press 
conference scheduled for December 20, Lewin intends to also 
call upon Jamaica's politicians and Civil Society to play a 
more active role in changing the current climate of violence 
and criminality.  Not only does he hold the Force responsible 
for what has happened over the last 30 years, but he also 
believes that Jamaica's politicians and civil society have 
fostered if not encouraged criminal gangs and now, "the 
monster has outgrown the master." 
 
Community Policing 
 
¶3. (SBU) Lewin used the term "community policing," in his 
discussion about Force change.  However, in Lewin's view the 
current Community Policing Initiative has not produced the 
desired results because the Force has simply paid lip service 
to its tenants.  In his opinion, it is not enough to have a 
Community Liaison Officer who will hand out sweets to kids, 
and sit in the police stations to hear complaints from 
citizens.  Lewin understands that this will be a major "brain 
shift" for the vast majority of the Force, but he wants to 
institute a more professional, community-focused approach to 
policing from the top down and bottom up by revamping the 
Academy curriculum and insisting that senior and mid-level 
managers do more that just talk about community-based 
policing. 
 
Corruption 
 
¶4. (C)  In one of his first decisions as Commissioner, on 
January 17, Lewin approved and then circulated to all his 
senior staff the concept paper on Anti-Corruption prepared by 
the new Anti-Corruption Division Chief, Assistant 
Commissioner, Justin Felice. (Note: Felice, a British 
National, is one of five internationally recruited officers 
currently serving the JCF)  As the former Chief of Staff of 
the Jamaica Defence Force, in his capacity as advisor to the 
Ministry of National Security, Lewin was involved in the 
conception of the Division from the beginning, and is an 
enthusiastic supporter of Felice.  Lewin asked that the U.S. 
continue to work with Jamaica's other international partners 
to support the Division.  (Details of the Division's plan to 
be discussed in Septel) 
 
Poor Performance 
 
¶5. (C) There is often a fine and very blurry line between 
corruption and poor performance.  Lewin does not plan to 
tolerate either.  Sending a strong signal that it will not be 
"business as usual" in the JCF, in just his first week, Lewin 
 
has already sent several senior officers, including Assistant 
Commissioner of Police, XXX, the current Head of 
the XXX on "long-term" leave 
pending a transfer to another Division.  In addition to 
XXX, whom Lewin discussed directly with NAS Director as a 
"problem," Lewin intends to move several other officers, who 
in his view simply have failed to perform.  The previous 
Commissioner, according to Lewin, was much too involved in 
the day-to-day decision making of Force Operations, which 
created paralysis.  Lewin's vision is to set the rules and 
policies and enforce performance but push out authority to 
Division Commanders.  He agreed that this too will be a major 
"brain shift" for most officers, who have never been expected 
to think for themselves.  He opined that "some will make it, 
some won't, the ones who don't will have to go." 
 
Recruitment Retention Discipline 
 
¶6. (C) Lewin agreed with the NAS Director that the Force's 
current recruitment, retention, and discipline rules and 
regulations will have to undergo revision.  However, he does 
not subscribe to his predecessor's view that the Commissioner 
of Police is currently powerless to deal with problem 
employees, but he is keenly aware that Jamaican courts are 
not a friendly forum for employment disputes.  Lewin 
subscribes to the notion that you work quietly from within to 
remove poor performers or officers involved in questionable 
practices.  If that fails, he would then turn the matter over 
to the Police Services Commission (PSC) for an administrative 
hearing.  He shared with the NAS Director that it was his 
impression before taking the position that it was the PSC 
that was failing to act to remove poor performers.  Once in 
the job, Lewin discovered that the PSC had been begging his 
predecessor for years to send it the Force's best cases so 
that it could remove under-performing members. 
 
Ministry of National Security's Strategic Review 
 
¶7. (C)  Lewin shared with the NAS Director that he met this 
week with the panel of experts for the Ministry of 
National Security's Strategic Review Committee.  Lewin, 
unlike his predecessor, wants to actively participate in the 
review process and he intends to take the Committee's 
preliminary recommendations/questions/concerns back to his 
senior staff to get their input into the final report.  Lewin 
wisely understands that unless the Force views this Review in 
a positive light and believes that the Review's 
recommendations have had Force input, he won't be able to use 
it as the catalyst for fundamental organizational change.  He 
commented that it was the lack of Force-wide buy in to the 
PERF Report, for example, is why the NAS-funded Law 
Enforcement Development Advisor failed to achieve major 
change in the JCF. 
 
A Target on his Back 
 
¶8. (C)  Lewin has thus far made light of the threats against 
him, but his wife has shared her concerns about both the 
external and internal forces that they both have been warned 
about.  Prior to his taking office, members of Lewin's 
Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) body-guard detail approached him 
to offer their services to guard Lewin and his family.  Lewin 
has also been warned by current and former police officers 
and other JDF officer to avoid eating or drinking anything 
prepared or provided by his staff at JCF HQ.  Lewin's wife 
firmly believes that she and XXX are 
targets and she is pressing Lewin to ensure that his contract 
(which is still under negotiation) includes adequate 
provision for both their personal security and the physical 
security of their home. 
 
A Question of Leadership 
 
¶8. (C) Where Lewin's predecessor was guarded and often seemed 
overwhelmed by the demands of the position, Lewin,  despite a 
burgeoning murder rate, rampant corruption, a lack of 
critical resources and credible threats against him and his 
family, appears confident and comfortable in command of the 
JCF.  Lewin firmly believes that it is a question of 
leadership, the Force's past leaders have failed it and 
failed Jamaica.  He intends to do better. 
JOHNSON