Pastors seek protocol - Clergymen to request meeting with Police High Command to establish guidelines
Published:Sunday | June 27, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
The decision by the police to charge popular pastor Al Miller for his role in the 'Dudus' affair has left other churchmen confused about how they should act when criminals seek their assistance.
Several senior pastors from the various umbrella groups will meet tomorrow to finalise a pitch to the Police High Command for a protocol to guide ministers in their dealings with wanted men and the handing over of illegal firearms.
The Reverend Lenworth Anglin, executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica, told The Sunday Gleaner that the criminal charges levelled against Miller for attempting to take Christopher 'Dudus' Coke to the US Embassy has shown that there is a need for some established guidelines.
Anglin said tomorrow's meeting of the heads of the various umbrella church groups would be used to, among other things, assess how ministers of religion have been dealing with such matters, and to sign off on the need to meet with the police.
However, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Glenmore Hinds said there was no need for a protocol, as the pastors were already aware of the modus operandi.
A phone call away
"I'm sure the pastors are aware of what to do. It is no secret," Hinds told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.
According to Hinds, the pastors should remember that the police are always a phone call away.
Still, the Reverend Rowan Edwards, executive member of the umbrella group of churches and Bishop of the Lighthouse Assemblies Ministries, insisted that the Police High Command should provide a set of guidelines to pastors. "There ought to be an established procedure. The police should advise the clergy and the general public as to how to carry out this sort of function," said Edwards.
He urged ministers to tread carefully until a resolution has been achieved.
"We will be calling on them to iron out this (matter and) - we (ministers) need to be very cautious in how we approach matters like those."
Hinds contends that the pastors, who have, over time, taken in several wanted men and aided in the handing over of illegal firearms, have always advised the police beforehand of their intended actions.
"I don't see a big issue. Circumstances will always determine how it's done. We are not breaking new ground here," he said.
Educate ourselves
Bishop Colville Webb, chairman of the Jamaica Pentecostal Union Apostolic, disagreed with his fellow clergymen about the need for established guidelines.
Webb, who was a policeman for 35 years, said pastors need to educate themselves on the requirements of the law. This, he said, would ensure that pastors act within the ambit of the law when carrying out certain sensitive functions. "What we need is to educate," said Webb, who retired from the police force five years ago at the rank of inspector.
Meanwhile, one of the country's pre-eminent attorneys, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has advised pastors to keep the police abreast of their actions every step of the way when dealing with illegal firearms or wanted persons.
"When in doubt, engage the police from the moment the particular instrument is in your hand, and be guided by the police," the attorney said.
Tips for pastors
- In the case of an illegal firearm, members of the clergy should call the police and ask them to come and collect it.
- As it relates to the surrender of a person wanted by the police, the ministers should call the police and inform them that they are going to be accompanying the individual to the police station.