Are extrajudicial killings justice or vengeance?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In recent months, a troubling pattern has re-emerged – the normalisation of police killings. The reports of police fatally shooting ‘gunmen’ continue to surface, often with celebratory overtones. But since when did vengeance become an acceptable substitute for justice?

Criminal violence is a ruthless cancer in our society, and the frustration is completely justified. People are tired of living in fear; however, when we allow the state to respond with borderline unlawful force, bypassing due process and the courts, we are not solving the problem, we instead create a more dangerous one. What we are witnessing is not the restoration of law and order, but the erosion of it.

These apparent extrajudicial killings are illegal, and contravene Jamaica’s Constitution, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, and international human rights treaties to which we are signatory. Support for the state’s adoption of the same disregard for life as the criminals it seeks to combat, blurry the line between enforcement and abuse. This looks like a slippery slope towards a police state.

There has been blatant support by key stakeholders for the overindulgence in fatality by the JCF. Their endorsement is unfortunate, and it fuels a culture of impunity. They have publicly attacked Jamaicans for Justice , and stalled INDECOM’s investigations as if to suggest they reject independent oversight. If there is no transparency, the public will continue to assume that these killings are not isolated acts, but policy by proxy.

Studies from countries like the Philippines, Brazil, and Nigeria show that normalising excessive police killings does not deter crime in the long term. Instead, it erodes public trust, fuels retaliation, and creates generations of youth who grow up fearing, and eventually hating, law enforcement. A 2021 Human Rights Watch report showed how these killings undermined justice and widened social divisions.

Jamaica cannot afford to continue this path. Already, surveys show declining trust in law enforcement, especially among the youth in inner-city communities. Do we really believe that a child who sees his neighbour gunned down by the police without trial will grow up to respect the badge?

The state’s greatest power at hand must be used with the greatest restraint. Due process is not a luxury; it is rather the foundation of democracy. It is the only thing that separates us from a mob rule.

We can and must demand better. The path to peace and safety lies in accountability, justice, community policing, and investment in at-risk youth. We must address this now! If not, we may one day wake up in a nation where anyone can be deemed a “criminal” and disposed of, no questions asked. By then, it will be too late.

SOLON