Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has called on the nation to recognize the police as the greatest human rights advocates in the country.

He made the statement amid recent concern by human rights groups about the number of fatal shootings by the police since the start of the year.

According to the Independent Commission of Investigations, Indecom, 61 people have been fatally shot by the security forces since January.

The position was outlined in the latest force orders.

The police commissioner said in modern discourse, human rights advocacy is often associated with activists, civil society organisations, and policymakers who work to hold governments accountable and advance legal protections.

However, he noted that this perspective misses a fundamental truth that the men and women of law enforcement are, in practice, the first defenders of human rights.

He said everyday police officers place themselves between criminals and the public, violence and safety, chaos and order—not for recognition or reward, but because duty demands it.

He believes the work of defending human rights is not just about advocacy but about action.

Dr. Blake admitted that law enforcement has its challenges, but said these challenges do not define the JCF, nor should they overshadow the countless acts of courage and service that officers perform every day.

While he highlighted the importance of accountability, he said “advocacy for human rights is not just about speaking against injustice—it is about actively preventing it.”

He argued that it is a recognition that just as citizens need safeguarding from crime, officers need safeguarding from misrepresentation, unfair criticism, and the unrealistic expectation that they can operate in a world devoid of danger and split-second decisions.

He said it must also be acknowledged that without the police, there is no security—and without security, there are no rights to protect.

He noted that the debate about policing and human rights should not be an “us versus them” discussion.

Instead he said, it should be an honest conversation about how law enforcement can be empowered, supported, and refined to ensure that it upholds the values that democracy demands.

The commissioner said the police are not just part of the human rights conversation—they are at the centre of it, and the sooner that is recognized, the stronger the society will be.