Men, youths and poor Jamaicans are more likelyto be victims of police brutality, a recently published Ministry of National Security survey has shown. According to the results of the survey, eight out of every 10 respon-dents said the police were more likely to brutalise and harass people from lower social strata than the more well-to-do.

Similarly, respondents said the police were more likely to mistreat and discriminate against men and younger people.

Some 3,000 Jamaicans aged 16 years and older participated in The Jamaican National Crime Victimisa-tion Survey, which was carried out in 2006. Participants were asked to respond to questions about their personal background, perceptions of community crime, personal victimisa-tion experiences, fear of crime, their attitudes towards the criminal-justice system, among other things.

Major problem

A significantly high number of respondents said that corruption in the police force was a major problem.

Only recently, 1-800-CORRUPT, which is an offshore anti-crime international call centre, was launched to help in the fight against corruption in the Jamaica Constabulary Force. More than 50 police personnel were arrested last year for breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act.

On the other hand, respondents gave the police high marks for their approachability and their efforts in enforcing the law and ensuring safety.

michelle-ann.letman@gleanerjm.com.