KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) says only one case of a person in custody at three lock-up facilities has been confirmed as tuberculosis (TB).
The PCOA, which was established by Parliament in 2005, to monitor, inspect, and enhance the efficiency of police services and improve relationships between the public and the police, said that the inspections were conducted on February 10 and 27 following media reports of potential tuberculosis outbreaks at three lock-ups – Half Way Tree (St. Andrew Central Division); Hunts Bay (St. Andrew North Division) and Greater Portmore (St. Catherine South Division).
”The investigation confirmed that the Hunts Bay Station had a TB case. Evidence of this was found in the Medical Journal at the station, which indicated that a physician had already administered treatment and collected samples from 5 other prisoners in custody for TB testing,” the PCOA said in a statement, noting that “lock-up staff, however, informed the team that an additional 10 prisoners in custody were suspected of being infected.
The PCOA said that while no other cases had been recorded at the Greater Portmore Station, “records showed one individual was treated for TB-like symptoms, which was pending confirmation. Notably, the PCOA Team discovered that five individuals were being treated for scabies, a condition that causes intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash.
“In the meantime, at the time of inspections, it was documented that two (Hunts Bay and Greater Portmore) of the three lock-ups held prisoners above their gazetted capacity, the majority of which were remandees.”
The PCOA said it is recommending that the Station Commanders put measures in place to address this issue, and report and follow up with the Area Commander and Detention and Courts regarding the relocation of excess prisoners in custody.
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