119 / 494
118
JCF and should have been included in the Updates of that Force. The
numbers simply do not add up. We are unable to extrapolate from the
varied evidence on the single issue of the total number of weapons
recovered, any accurate figure of that total recovered during the first
period of the State of Emergency or the expanded and extended
period. The evidence is unsatisfactory.
5.83.
We think that Lt. Col. Cummings’ evidence that he saw
“some damage” was euphemistic to say the least. Damage was far
more widespread and, in some cases, horrific, as reported elsewhere in
this Report. Mr. Witter and Bishop Blair visited only a few dwellings on
25 May and their accounts of their observations are not congruent with
Lt. Col. Cummings’, bearing in mind that he visited hundreds of
dwellings. We find that the security forces damaged property
belonging to residents during the house clearing exercises (to which
we will refer later) and while searching for weapons and gunmen in
Tivoli Gardens.
5.84.
We find that the electronic surveillance system discovered
at 15A Dee Cee Avenue was an early warning mechanism available to
Coke to enable him to monitor the movement of persons, including the
security forces, into and out of Tivoli Gardens.
5.85.
Having seen evidence of items found at the Presidential
Click’s offices and in the Toyota car parked outside, we are satisfied
that the ammunition found in the trunk of the car was to be made
available to gunmen if and when necessary. The fact that it was left
behind suggests that Coke may have been obliged to beat a hasty
retreat from the area of the Presidential Click. Indeed, the sum of
US$245,000.00, also found on 25 May at the Presidential Click,
supports an inference of a hasty escape from Tivoli Gardens.