Cop killers must be stopped

By Garth A. Rattray

A patient of mine who is a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) was maintaining a police presence, parked in a marked police vehicle, close to an intersection with a very major thoroughfare in St Andrew.

As he observed the traffic and the general surroundings, a young man emerged from a neighbouring depressed community. He walked right up to the driver's side window and calmly announced, "One a unnu kill one a wi so wi a go kill back one a unnu." The messenger then disappeared back into the bowels of his honeycombed community.

He was shaken and amazed at the brazen messenger's calm promise of retaliation to members of the JCF. In effect, he wanted the entire police force to know that it was 'unnu' against 'wi', and that it was going to be a bloody tit for tat.

Once, as I was transporting someone to do repair work on the office, we drove past a simple-looking young man walking on the sidewalk. My passenger remarked, "Yuh see dat yout there, Doc? All him have him 16, ennuh." (Meaning that, as young, innocent and innocuous as the fellow appeared, he, like others of his ilk, had an M16 assault rifle stashed away somewhere).

Quite a few disenfranchised, uneducated/ undereducated, antisocial young men are empowered with high-powered weapons that bring them camaraderie, income and status (fear and respect) within their community.

There was a time in our past when some politicians found it expedient to revolutionise the way that various communities and people interacted in order to garner votes. Enemy lines were drawn based on political differences. Social mores rapidly evaporated and selective melding was facilitated. All the party faithful - young, old, rich, poor, 'topanaris', 'buttu', great and small - were on a first-name basis. The politics of the day made it difficult to look up to anyone.

Instead of elevating their constituents, they dragged them down to an inextricable low. Respect for our fellow citizens was determined solely by their political affiliation. The resultant lack of respect for others and for life extends to killing anyone, including cops. This is the bitter and bloody legacy left by that era of politics.

Additionally, unfortunately, some members of the constabulary see themselves as a privileged subset - above the very laws that they swore to uphold. They derisively refer to the people that they are supposed to serve, protect and reassure as 'civilians' with a condescending tone. That attitude, along with the insulting, rude and heavy-handed way that some interact with the public, only serves to alienate them and diminish their status and respectability.

EROSION OF TRUST

And, the illegal actions of rogue cops are also to blame for the severe erosion of the trust and high esteem in which the police were once held. These conditions facilitate the murderous actions of cop killers. Rogue cops not just break laws; they break their solemn pledges, betray the public trust and invite violence upon their fellow JCF members.

Rumours and innuendoes abound as the public grapples with unfounded theories regarding why cops are killed. Some stories speak to mistaken identities, others to involvement in underworld activities and others claim that some cops where killed because they sought to uphold the law.

In order to stop cop killers, policemen and policewomen must start by fervently and constantly striving to reclaim their status as ambassadors of discipline, respect and propriety. Members of the JCF must always be vigilant because they are targets for murderers who want to gain street cred and terrorise society.

The society needs to understand that ONLY the police stand between us and absolute anarchy/lawlessness. Citizens must provide intelligence to the JCF. And, criminals must know that no stone shall remain unturned in apprehending all cop killers and bringing them to justice.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.