LETTER OF THE DAY - JCF must prove its mettle
Published:Friday | July 23, 2010 | 12:00 AM
The Editor, Sir:
A continued state of emergency is an artificial solution to a real problem. It seems to me that the state of emergency that has been in effect over the past two months and all the successes it has yielded thus far point to the glaring deficiencies in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Had the JCF been effective in carrying out its duties in the first place a state of emergency would not have been necessary. Why do the police need such extraordinary powers to go after suspects and gunmen when the Constitution already equips them with powers to do so, albeit under a more restrained, regulated and time-consuming manner?
A state of emergency, if it continues for a prolonged period, will serve to place a greater deficit of trust between the police and decent law-abiding citizens, many of whom are being taken in and questioned, simply because they happen to be poor and reside in inner-city communities. A prolonged state of emergency will also serve to strengthen the psyche of policemen on front-line duty, a mindset that they are so powerful that they need not follow the rules because they have been given a free hand to do as they please.
Fighting the poor
The state of emergency that has been employed over the past two months could aptly be described as a state of emergency against poor people, particularly young unemployed males. How many uptown communities have been searched in the state of emergency? The middle and upper classes in this country are not affected and inconvenienced by a state of emergency in the same way that inner-city residents are and, as a result, it is easy for uptowners to call for a continued state of emergency. The true effectiveness of the JCF in fighting crime will only be proved under normal conditions.
It's time for the JCF to prove its mettle under its normal modus operandi. Only then will it gain the critical respect, support and admiration of the ordinary citizens of this country.
I am, etc.,
PATRICK A. GALLIMORE