Compensation payouts for the death and destruction that occurred during the internal security operation to arrest drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke have already cost taxpayers a little over $300 million, a figure that will increase when over two dozen lawsuits filed on behalf of detainees are wrapped up.

“Sixty-nine dead, compensation having been offered and paid by taxpayers, there has been no accountability within the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) or the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force) for deaths or property damage,” Harrison Henry told The Sunday Gleaner during an interview last Friday.

A commission of enquiry, which investigated a number of issues around the operation, concluded that there was compelling evidence to suggest that members of the security forces engaged in extrajudicial killings, and used strong language to criticise the actions of police and military commanders.

“The time has surely come to usher in a radical new culture in the operations of the security forces, a culture that provides for greater transparency and accountability,” suggested the commission, which was chaired by former Barbados Chief Justice Sir David Simmons.

Cabinet later accepted the recommendation of a committee appointed by the Government – also in keeping with a proposal by the Simmons commission – that $200 million in compensation be paid to relatives of those killed in the operation as well as those who were injured or suffered property damage.