EDITORIAL: Hard road to rebuilding citizens' trust in JCF

Two controversial police killings in as many weeks have stoked renewed distrust in the police just when members of the force were reporting significant improvement in community relations. Over the years, the relationship between the police and the people they serve has been tested by allegations of brutality, excesses, and inappropriate behaviour. Many, especially in inner-city communities, are still searching for answers to heal the wounds of past incidents.

Families of Negril businessman, Frederick 'Mickey' Hill, and a Kingston-based pastor who were cut down by police bullets have reacted with outrage at their demise. But what was even more important was the emotional demonstration to both shootings by scores of citizens. It is abundantly clear that the average citizen's belief in law-enforcement officers as agents of civil order is fast fading.

Calls for justice rang out from the demonstrators who by now must be used to the routine of probes being initiated by the ubiquitous Bureau of Special Investigations. Often, the process is dragged out and, in the end, the investigations are deemed superficial and incomplete. Thankfully, the salary and terms of employment of the Independent Commission of Investigation boss have now been settled. It will be interesting to see how long these investigations will take, and the results. The public will only be satisfied if they are assured of the independence of the investigators and believe that they will accumulate solid evidence. And even while the investigations are taking place, the authorities have to reach out to the families.

We acknowledge that there are brazen criminals out there who will use deadly force against the police. We are also aware that routine stops can turn violent with deadly consequences. So it is really a complex issue, and spur-of-the moment decisions about whether to shoot or not may turn out really bad.

There is always a danger in rushing to judgement, so we must await the results of the investigations. But there has to be something fundamentally wrong with the training of our policemen and policewomen if they can somehow believe that it is appropriate to fire a gun into a moving motor car in which there are a number of passengers. Even if the car is stolen, even if the driver is a suspect or fugitive, there has to be a way to do police work without endangering the lives of innocent people.

In addition to revisiting the training manual, we believe the time has come for the police force to move into the 21st century and acquire video cameras for squad cars. In the end, the police will have to do a lot of fence-mending and rebuilding community trust.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.