Holness: Criminals are not your friends
Published:Thursday | April 14, 2022 | 12:05 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
PRIME MINISTER Andrew Holness has cautioned against embracing criminals and dons over members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in the fight against crime, warning that criminals will rape your daughters and pillage your communities.
He said the police force has transformed and is now becoming a people’s force. However, he noted that there is a need for the wider citizenry to change their attitude towards members of the police force.
In calling for greater improvement between citizens and the police, Holness said citizens who are constantly being disrespectful to the police should know that crime producers do not have their best interest at heart.
“The criminals are not your friends. They are only going to pillage your communities and rape your daughters, and then you can’t say nothing about it,” warned Holness, during the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the Little London Police Station in Westmoreland.
The prime minister said far too often, as seen in viral videos, citizens are choosing to side with criminal elements against the police, a cultural practice that he said must change.
“The way in which the public interacts with the police in Jamaica has to change,” Holness insisted. “We have all seen the videos of the police in operations, gunshots are firing and people are running to where the police operations are, imperilling themselves and endangering the police as well.
“It’s a difficult prospect in an undisciplined society that seeks to challenge the police at every turn, even when they are wrong,” he said, pointing to the attitude of citizens towards the police.
The prime minister also noted that there are procedures to deal with the inappropriate behaviour of police and urged persons to adhere to the process.
“There is a process of accountability and I urged citizens to use that process. Don’t take it upon yourself to put yourself between the police and their job because this is not going to help us in the long term in fighting crime,” he said.
Holness said the Government is holding members of the security forces to account.
“You may not immediately recognise it, but the police force and the army today are different institutions than from the JCF 10, 15 years ago, and the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force) 10, 15 years ago,” he stated. “This is primarily a result of the training that is taking place, the addition of new elements and functionalities in the training of our law enforcement and security officers.”