Police Complaints Authority aims to complete cases quicker

The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) will launch a series of new initiatives aimed at building public trust with the organisation as part of the events marking its 10th anniversary.

A statement issued by the authority on Saturday said recent amendments to the legislation empowers the organisation to benefit "from broader evidence gathering capabilities" and the law has been formalised for attorneys seeking the interest of the PCA be included as interested parties in fatal police shootings.

Among the new initiatives to be unveiled in the coming weeks are online improvements to speed up the conclusion of investigations and quality of work. The organisation also intends to improve the public’s ease of access to its complaints systems and digital upgrading of case management systems.

The PCA, which was established on December 29, 2010, is also launching its new visual brand identity aimed at redefining its independence from other arms of the justice sector. A new website alongside an information campaign aimed at promoting PCA services to the public will also be launched, the statement said.

The PCA said it has a role to play in the pursuit of justice and "we renew our commitment to speeding up the delivery of our services which impact victims, their families, and police officers alike."

This year the PCA had a significant number of police-involved shootings and allegations of other serious misconduct against senior officers including the case against now retired assistant commissioner Irwin Hackshaw who was accused of soliciting over $2 million in fees from business people on the pretext that it was to be used to offset the costs of official social functions of the police service.

Hackshaw was also accused of moonlighting as a security consultant without the approval of then commissioners Stephen Williams and Harold Phillip but the disciplinary charge fell by the wayside after the officer submitted sick leave which extended into his retirement at the end of November.

The PCA's report into the police killing of three men on June 27, at Second Caledonia, in Morvant is another major case it investigated this year and that matter is currently under review by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In its statement, the PCA paid homage to former directors Ralph Doyle and now Justice of Appeal Gillian Lucky for their vision in establishing the organisation "as an important arm of the justice system that gives citizens the right to an independent resolution for all complaints about serious police misconduct."

PCA director David West and deputy director Michelle Solomon-Baksh said as they commence the PCA's next decade of service they look ahead with "optimism and confidence" as the governing legislation has been strengthened.