Cops stay strong after death of colleague
Published:Friday | December 24, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
Special Corporal Christopher 'Ivan' Smith and Special Constable Dwayne Lalor were forced to patrol downtown Kingston yesterday without the third member of their team, Special Constable Dwayne 'Jacko' Jackson.
Jackson had been killed hours earlier in Independence City, St Catherine, during an ambush.
The gunmen, believed to be four, escaped without taking the policeman's firearm or cash that was in his pockets.
With eyes overflowing with tears, the two policemen remembered their colleague who had been their patrol partner.
The memories were particularly painful for Lalor, who was the last person to speak to Jackson before he was shot multiple times.
"Him call mi shortly after 6 o'clock and ask me weh mi deh, and mi tell him Three Miles, and him say, 'Oh, you a go reach in early, man'," Lalor told The Gleaner. "Same time, mi a go ask him weh him deh, the phone hang up, just like that."
He added: "And less than five minutes later, mi hear say 'Jacko' dead. Mi call him phone and no answer."
The policemen could no longer hold back the tears, which trickled down their faces.
"The vibes not there today, it gone. I mean, the three of wi always out here every morning from to 6 or by 7 and the vibes gone, mi nah lie," said Lalor.
Smith was less vocal and only mumbled responses when vendors hailed him as 'Ivan' as they passed.
At the nearby Harbour Street Police Post, where Jackson was based, the grief hung heavy like a storm cloud about to burst.
"The gunmen take away wi Christmas," said one policeman, as he responded to the news of the killing of his 29-year-old colleague who had served the force for a little over two years.
"He was one of the hard-working policemen stationed at this police post," said Inspector Noel Daley, his immediate supervisor.
"Someone who you could really rely on. He was a person who didn't talk much, but he knew his job and he loved his job. He was killed at 6:20, wanting to get to work on time, and he was not scheduled to start until 8, so you see he loved his job," Daley added.
Destined for promotion
The police inspector, his voice breaking at times, had nothing but pleasant memories of a young man who had seemed destined for promotion.
"Words can't really express the loss that the Harbour Street Police Post is going through right now," he said.
Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson expressed anger and disgust at Jackson's murder.
"The attack and subsequent killing of Constable Dwayne Jackson by armed thugs has highlighted the tremendous challenges facing those sworn to serve, protect and reassure," Nelson said.
Police Commissioner Owen Ellington also expressed regret at the killing of the 18th member of the police force since the start of the year.
"The tragic loss of another policeman at this time is particularly painful and is yet another poignant reminder of the hostile environment in which members of the security forces work and live," Ellington said.
"The murder of the special constable this morning in Independence City re-emphasises the need for all members of the security forces to urgently and continuously address the needs of their personal security," added Ellington, who recently raised the threat level for members of the force.
"Criminal elements within St Catherine, especially Spanish Town and Portmore, have become more brazen and are determined to demoralise the police to further their lives of crime and violence. We will not allow this to happen and will respond appropriately and when necessary," said Ellington.