Force needs urgent renewal
Published:Tuesday | February 23, 2010 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM very pleased with the revelation that police sergeant, Russell Robinson was slapped with more than 18 charges for his involvement in the trade of weapons and ammunition from the police armoury. Robinson, who is entrusted as a member of the force, has seemingly betrayed the very trust that was placed in him and, in the process, allegedly committed, perhaps, one the most sinister crimes by any member of the police force.
When a police officer takes the oath of office, he has in essence agreed to protect the citizens of Jamaica. Any involvement in criminal activities such as selling guns to criminals, guns which are the property of the police force, means that a cop would have essentially relinquished the oath of office and, in the process, betrayed his good colleagues and the force in general.
Instead of training men and women to catch criminals, the force has become a breeding ground for some of the worse thugs the Jamaican society has ever seen. It's disgraceful to believe that an organisation, whose members have the responsibility to arrest and apprehend persons involved in criminal acts, are themselves being arrested and charged in record numbers. Suffice to say the current recruiting process should be revisited or revamped in an effort to have decent, law-abiding and reputable people joining the force.
Acts of criminality
I am disgusted and appalled by the frequency of officers com-mitting acts of criminality. One can only believe it has become an epidemic. From a public relations standpoint, the force is now facing an uphill battle to win the trust and respect of the citizenry of Jamaica. You can't blame the public for not trusting the police when so many members of the force are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law.
I am imploring the new commissioner to weed out the recalcitrant members from the force and restore the long-lost confidence of the public. This will take time but the commissioner must be resolute, adopt a zero-tolerance policy in an effort to rid the force of the disgrace and embarrassment by so many of its members.
I am, etc.,
Conrod Tucker