VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #0351/01 1151533
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 241533Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6237
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0445
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2270
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC

S E C R E T KINGSTON 000351 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP BOZZOLO, BROWN 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR TILGHMAN 
WHA/PPC JBISCHOFF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2018 
TAGS: SNAR PREL JM
SUBJECT: (C) IN ITS FIRST THREE MONTHS THE NEW 
ANTI-CORRUPTION BRANCH OF THE JAMAICA CONSTABULARY FORCE 
ARRESTS 27 OFFICERS AND TWO CIVILIANS. 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE JAMES T. HEG FOR REASON 1.4(B&D) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  In its first three months, the new 
Anti-Corruption Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force has 
arrested 27 officers and two civilians for corruption, a 100% 
increase over last year,s moribund performance by the 
Branch,s predecessor organization.  The new Branch Chief, 
Justin Felice, admits that these arrests were &low hanging 
fruit8 however, he is pleased nonetheless.  One of the 
Branch,s best weapons is the fear of detection, and these 
arrests have sent ripples through the Force.  The Branch 
needs additional human resources and funding for equipment 
and operational expenses.  NAS Kingston requests $900,000 in 
additional INL funding to support the Branch,s operations. 
Through participation in this project alongside the UK and 
Canada, U.S. law enforcement would be able to use the 
information gleaned to launch and advance cases with a U.S. 
nexus, such as money laundering, drug trafficking, and human 
and weapons smuggling.   End Summary. 
 
Operation Arena 
============ 
 
¶2. (S) The Branch will soon launch Operation Arena, which is 
a joint initiative of the Governments of Jamaica, Canada the 
UK and the U.S.  The UK has already committed U.S. 1.0 
million to the project to finance the start-up expenses for 
the Branch,s Undercover Unit.  The Branch has already 
identified and will soon hire an effective Jamaican, Maj. 
Dave Anderson, the former Special Advisor to Minister of 
National Security Peter Phillips, to act as the Unit,s Chief 
Executive Officer, allowing the Branch Chief to concentrate 
on planning operations.  The Branch has also identified an 
MI5 officer, and received a provisional commitment from MI5 
to release him for duty in Jamaica to participate in Arena. 
Three additional British officers are slated to join the Unit 
later this year, funding permitting.  The Unit needs four 
additional officers and the Chief has requested that the USG 
provide one analyst and one investigator to the Operation. 
 
Branch arrests 29 in first three months 
============================ 
 
¶3.  (C)  In the interim, until the Undercover Unit is 
operational and able to conduct secret investigations against 
the most senior officers within the Force, the Branch Chief, 
Justin Felice, has strategically gone after as many easy 
cases as he can to show that the Branch is active.  On his 
own, Felice has nearly completed investigations into two 
senior level officers (a Superintendent and Senior 
Superintendent) for criminal misconduct, obstruction of 
justice, and bribery.  One of the Branch,s primary goals is 
to create a real fear of detection within the JCF and among 
those who seek to corrupt the police.  Low level corruption 
will continue to be targeted by the overt unit of the 
Anti-Corruption Branch.  However until Senior Officers are 
brought to justice by the Undercover Unit, public confidence 
will not improve. 
 
Justification for additional INCLE funding 
============================== 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Because of budget cuts suffered over the last two 
fiscal years, NAS Kingston,s budget is now at an all time 
low and pipeline funds are nearly exhausted.  FY07 funding 
for all our Interdiction and Law Enforcement programs was a 
mere U.S. $ 500,000, which is less than half of the program 
funding we received in FY04 and 05.  There is no pipeline for 
law enforcement available in NAS-Kingston,s FY07 program 
funds, and only small amounts remain for Interdiction.  The 
picture for FY08 is similarly bleak and current demands 
already exceed anticipated funds.  Although FY09 looks more 
promising, the recent pass back from OMB cut $600,000 from 
the Secretary,s submission for Jamaica, shows that funding 
in the latter years of this program will be additionally 
difficult to come by.  Unless NAS Kingston reprograms all 
available FY08 and most of FY09 funding for this one project, 
U.S. participation in this Unit will not occur. 
 
5). (SBU) Kingston therefore requests an increase in funding 
in the following amounts: 
 
FY08: 400,000 
FY09: 300,000 * 
FY10: 200,000 * 
 
 
 
 
* note the reduction in funds needed in the out years is 
based on the assumption that planned increases requested by 
INL result in higher overall program funds for NAS-Kingston 
 
Justification for Program 
================== 
 
¶6. (C) Corruption within the Jamaica Constabulary Force is 
endemic.  The Anti Corruption Branch was reconstituted in 
September 2007 through the recruitment and hiring of an 
experienced anti-corruption crime fighter from the Northern 
Ireland Ombudsman,s Office, Justin Felice.  The Government 
of Jamaica and the newly appointed Commissioner of Police 
recognize that the Branch will not make headway against 
senior officers who are involved in corrupt and criminal 
activities, unless its investigative and analytical talents 
are augmented by external officers.  It is the hope of the 
new Jamaican leadership that through Operation Arena a 
thorough housecleaning at the top will occur and the JCF will 
be a more professional, more accountable force that will 
better serve both Jamaican and USG interest in stemming crime 
and corruption. (Reftel)  In addition, given the undeniable 
linkages between crime and politics in Jamaica, it is 
anticipated that the investigations against high-ranking 
police officers could provide evidence that could be used for 
broader prosecutions of public officials for corruption. 
 
¶7. (C) The Government of Jamaica and the Jamaican Private 
Sector, which bear 2/3 of the cost of the salary and benefits 
for Felice, do not have the funding capacity to recruit the 
additional eight international investigators/analysts needed 
for this program.  Without them, the single British officer 
who heads the Branch, Felice, will not succeed.  The 
Government of Jamaica has therefore turned to its 
international partners, the U.S., UK, and Canada for 
assistance to fund this endeavor.  The UK has already 
committed U.S. 1.0 million to the project for start-up 
expenses, and both the UK and Canada have committed to 
providing officers to the Unit.  These governments are 
currently seeking funding from to go forward with this 
project. 
 
Description of Unit 
============== 
 
¶8. (S)  Through NAS Kingston sponsorship, in the 4Q of 2007, 
the new Branch Chief worked with a subject matter expert from 
the London Metropolitan Police, to develop a three-year 
strategy document, that includes a work plan for the Branch, 
an organizational chart that defines tasking and governance 
authority and creates an adequate fire wall between the 
Branch,s overt and undercover assets, that will protect the 
undercover assets from discovery during any administrative or 
criminal proceedings that are launched in the future. 
(Reftel) The international investigators will work in secret 
and the only link between them and the broader JCF 
Anti-Corruption Branch will be through sanitized reports and 
investigative tasking orders passed through Felice.  The Unit 
will have tasking and priority setting authority over both 
undercover and overt assets of the Jamaican Security 
Establishment to advance its investigation.  These assets 
are:  the Financial Investigative Branch, the Jamaica Defence 
Force Military Intelligence Unit, the Jamaica Constabulary 
Force Narcotics Police, the Jamaican Custom Service,s 
Contraband Enforcement Team, the Jamaican Immigration 
Service, etc.   Through these assets, the Unit will have 
access to bank records, company records, wire tap 
information, surveillance photos/reports, etc. The U.S. 
members of the Unit will be able to use the information 
gleaned to launch and advance cases with a U.S. nexus, such 
as money laundering, drug trafficking, and human and weapons 
smuggling.  Information obtained regarding corruption outside 
the Jamaica Constabulary Force will be acted upon by the 
Office of the Special Prosecutor for Anti-Corruption, which 
slated for approval by Parliament in the 2Q of 2008. 
 
Program Goal 
========== 
 
¶9. (C) To strengthen the investigative and analytical 
capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force,s Anti-Corruption 
Branch,s Undercover Unit.  Provide U.S. law enforcement 
access to sensitive intelligence gleaned by the Unit, which 
 
 
will advance U.S. investigations of money laundering, human 
trafficking, drug trafficking, and weapons smuggling that 
occurs with the complicity of Jamaica Constabulary Force 
officers. 
 
Program Objective 
============== 
 
¶10. (C) Augment the Branch,s current investigative capacity 
to ensure the dismissal and/or prosecution of corrupt 
Jamaican police officers, through the recruitment and hiring 
of two U.S. law enforcement advisors (one investigator, one 
analyst) who will be assigned to the Jamaica Constabulary 
Force Anti-Corruption Branch,s Undercover Unit and who will 
work as part of an international team of investigators and 
analysts (four British, two Canadian). 
 
Timeframe for Launch of Unit 
====================== 
 
¶11. (C) The JCF Anti-Corruption Branch plans to launch the 
Undercover Unit,s activities in June or July of 2008. 
 
¶12. (U) F-OBJ: Governing Justly and Democratically ) To 
support policies and programs that accelerate and strengthen 
public institutions and the creation of a more vibrant local 
government. 
 
(U) Program Area: (2) Good Governance 
(U) Program Element: (2.4) Anti-Corruption Reforms 
(U) Program Sub-Element: (2.4.4) Anti-Corruption Enforcement 
 
¶13. (U) Available Post Resources: 
 
FY08 INCLE/Law Enforcement:  200,000 
FY09 INCLE/Law Enforcement:  300,000 
 
¶14. (U) MSP Goal: Democratic Systems and Practices 
 
Performance Goal 
============== 
 
¶15. (U) The Jamaica Constabulary Force Becomes more 
accountable, with internal disciplinary structures that are 
ration, fair and transparent, which actually support the 
investigation, dismissal, and prosecution of corrupt police 
officers of all ranks.  The USG is able to use its 
participation in the Anti-Corruption Branch to leverage 
sensitive investigative information and augment and advance 
corruption cases with a nexus to the U.S, e.g. money 
laundering, drug seizures, weapons smuggling. 
 
¶16. (U) MSP Target:  FY08/09 Target: Assist the GOJ to 
implement anti-corruption measures that actually result in 
the dismissal and/or prosecution of corrupt police officers 
regardless of rank. 
 
 
HEG