Tweet
Police reform as urgent as murder reduction
MERVIN SODDART
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The alleged beating and gun killing of Ian "Ching Sing" Lloyd by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force in Buckfield, St Ann, on July 30 was a horrendous wake-up call to all Jamaicans that drastic overhaul of the police force is long overdue. The cellphone video shot by an onlooker was on TV news, YouTube and Facebook, with warnings that it was upsetting and unfit for children. It left this writer crippled with disbelief, despite the allegation that Lloyd had earlier murdered his common-law wife, Cherry. It is wrong for any human to take the life of another, but police officers are sworn to protect lives and property, not to be cold-blooded murderers or judge, jury and executioners. The JCF motto is to "serve, protect and reassure".
But one can empathise with Jamaican police who use force to protect themselves and others from demonic gunmen now wreaking havoc on the island. With about 900 murders already this year and a record 1680 last year, it is clear that criminals have declared war against Jamaica and the police cannot simply remain docile. Fifty-odd policemen have been murdered since 2002, including nine this year. Already, the JCF is understaffed with just under 8500 officers, total employees about 9990.
There is place for the no-nonsense approach to crime fighting of (left to right) a Reneto Adams, Keith Gardner or Cornwall Ford.
There is place for the no-nonsense approach to crime fighting of (left to right) a Reneto Adams, Keith Gardner or Cornwall Ford.
1/1 
Nevertheless, Lloyd's baton battering and glib gunshot by cops, which the coroner said killed Lloyd, were unwarranted. Kudos to Police Commissioner Owen Ellington and to the Police Federation for quickly condemning Lloyd's slaughter and arresting the officers involved. One wonders if the reaction would be as swift if there were no video. Officers should not insist on getting the original video and identifying its maker since that might discourage citizens from helping the police. No reaction can bring Lloyd back. No government compensation to his family will be sufficient. Cherry's family also deserves justice, but killing Lloyd was counterproductive. It was most despicable to hear citizens on that video begging the police to shoot the helpless Lloyd.
This event brings back horrible memories of innocent Jamaicans killed by security forces in Green Bay, Braeton and Tivoli Gardens, with hundreds of others that were not publicised. Apparently, Jamaican police kill an average of 140 and a high of about 280 citizens each year, five times more than the former apartheid South Africa. Even known murderers deserve fair trials before being executed. In fact, previous columns showed why I oppose the death penalty. Jamaica, once the murder capital of the world, also has the world's deadliest police force. But fighting murder with murder is hellish. Mohandas Gandhi warned that "an eye for an eye" makes the whole world blind. Jamaica was in an emergency state due to murders since the 1970s, and increased police killings will only exacerbate this evil culture of death.
The police must prevent crimes, capture criminals and help the courts to lock them away for good. Life sentence without release for murderers is reasonable remedy for society. Jamaica's murder malignancy calls for drastic crime-fighting measures, curiously not forthcoming from any administration since Michael Manley initiated the Gun Court. There is also place for the no-nonsense approach to crime-fighting of a Reneto Adams, Keith "Trinity" Gardner or Cornwall "Bigga" Ford.
Jamaica's security situations in counties, parishes, constituencies, divisions and communities must be reformed and upgraded. Starting at the Jamaica Police Academy, officers must be educated as to their roles and given enough knowledge and skills to survive and serve in Jamaica's jungle of death. Police officers were originally unarmed and trained to help citizens, not kill them. The 1832 and 1865 reforms of the police force in Jamaica worked well for those eras and another major reform is long overdue. The insightful 1904 and 1950 initiatives in the Island Special Constabulary Force were nation-building acts the likes of which have been lacking since the Home Guard attempt. The roughly 2000-strong ISCF must be upgraded in manpower since nearly 60 per cent serve the KSAC. Higher salaries are needed for all nine ISCF ranks and three major units and for all 11 ranks and 18 organisational units of the JCF. Modernising Jamaica's security operations while preserving civil liberties is more urgent than building highways.
Despite the Ian Lloyd video incident, government and citizens must support the police in their frontline fight against demonic murderers. That won't be easy for Lloyd's family or for this writer whose brother was shot dead by an officer who accused him of attack with a nail in a stick. It might be easier for Cherry's family who summoned help from the police, as my family did when my uncle was murdered by criminals one Holy Thursday not long ago. Officers must be trained and equipped to reduce or eliminate crimes so that they can spend more time helping citizens, not being rogue cops.
Perhaps some officers might be underpaid, thus tempted to go rogue. Some might go rogue out of fear and psychological pressures; others influenced maybe by foreign governments and drug cartels. Some might take orders from political parties and their dons; others too undereducated and undertrained to perform efficiently. Causes of cops going rogue must be investigated and resolved so that Jamaica can have near-perfect policing.
The majority are already respectable police officers, as I learnt while working as an assistant clerk of the courts. However, the police must police themselves and independent civilian police-monitoring boards must be given teeth to weed out rogue cops. Killer cops are more appalling than cop killers because the police must be held to a higher standard than criminals. These real-life sagas of "police and thief" are not easy for economically handicapped Jamaica, but police reform must be top priority if the nation is to survive.'
INMerv@hotmail.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...uction_7877603
MERVIN SODDART
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The alleged beating and gun killing of Ian "Ching Sing" Lloyd by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force in Buckfield, St Ann, on July 30 was a horrendous wake-up call to all Jamaicans that drastic overhaul of the police force is long overdue. The cellphone video shot by an onlooker was on TV news, YouTube and Facebook, with warnings that it was upsetting and unfit for children. It left this writer crippled with disbelief, despite the allegation that Lloyd had earlier murdered his common-law wife, Cherry. It is wrong for any human to take the life of another, but police officers are sworn to protect lives and property, not to be cold-blooded murderers or judge, jury and executioners. The JCF motto is to "serve, protect and reassure".
But one can empathise with Jamaican police who use force to protect themselves and others from demonic gunmen now wreaking havoc on the island. With about 900 murders already this year and a record 1680 last year, it is clear that criminals have declared war against Jamaica and the police cannot simply remain docile. Fifty-odd policemen have been murdered since 2002, including nine this year. Already, the JCF is understaffed with just under 8500 officers, total employees about 9990.
There is place for the no-nonsense approach to crime fighting of (left to right) a Reneto Adams, Keith Gardner or Cornwall Ford.
There is place for the no-nonsense approach to crime fighting of (left to right) a Reneto Adams, Keith Gardner or Cornwall Ford. 1/1 This event brings back horrible memories of innocent Jamaicans killed by security forces in Green Bay, Braeton and Tivoli Gardens, with hundreds of others that were not publicised. Apparently, Jamaican police kill an average of 140 and a high of about 280 citizens each year, five times more than the former apartheid South Africa. Even known murderers deserve fair trials before being executed. In fact, previous columns showed why I oppose the death penalty. Jamaica, once the murder capital of the world, also has the world's deadliest police force. But fighting murder with murder is hellish. Mohandas Gandhi warned that "an eye for an eye" makes the whole world blind. Jamaica was in an emergency state due to murders since the 1970s, and increased police killings will only exacerbate this evil culture of death.
The police must prevent crimes, capture criminals and help the courts to lock them away for good. Life sentence without release for murderers is reasonable remedy for society. Jamaica's murder malignancy calls for drastic crime-fighting measures, curiously not forthcoming from any administration since Michael Manley initiated the Gun Court. There is also place for the no-nonsense approach to crime-fighting of a Reneto Adams, Keith "Trinity" Gardner or Cornwall "Bigga" Ford.
Jamaica's security situations in counties, parishes, constituencies, divisions and communities must be reformed and upgraded. Starting at the Jamaica Police Academy, officers must be educated as to their roles and given enough knowledge and skills to survive and serve in Jamaica's jungle of death. Police officers were originally unarmed and trained to help citizens, not kill them. The 1832 and 1865 reforms of the police force in Jamaica worked well for those eras and another major reform is long overdue. The insightful 1904 and 1950 initiatives in the Island Special Constabulary Force were nation-building acts the likes of which have been lacking since the Home Guard attempt. The roughly 2000-strong ISCF must be upgraded in manpower since nearly 60 per cent serve the KSAC. Higher salaries are needed for all nine ISCF ranks and three major units and for all 11 ranks and 18 organisational units of the JCF. Modernising Jamaica's security operations while preserving civil liberties is more urgent than building highways.
Despite the Ian Lloyd video incident, government and citizens must support the police in their frontline fight against demonic murderers. That won't be easy for Lloyd's family or for this writer whose brother was shot dead by an officer who accused him of attack with a nail in a stick. It might be easier for Cherry's family who summoned help from the police, as my family did when my uncle was murdered by criminals one Holy Thursday not long ago. Officers must be trained and equipped to reduce or eliminate crimes so that they can spend more time helping citizens, not being rogue cops.
Perhaps some officers might be underpaid, thus tempted to go rogue. Some might go rogue out of fear and psychological pressures; others influenced maybe by foreign governments and drug cartels. Some might take orders from political parties and their dons; others too undereducated and undertrained to perform efficiently. Causes of cops going rogue must be investigated and resolved so that Jamaica can have near-perfect policing.
The majority are already respectable police officers, as I learnt while working as an assistant clerk of the courts. However, the police must police themselves and independent civilian police-monitoring boards must be given teeth to weed out rogue cops. Killer cops are more appalling than cop killers because the police must be held to a higher standard than criminals. These real-life sagas of "police and thief" are not easy for economically handicapped Jamaica, but police reform must be top priority if the nation is to survive.'
INMerv@hotmail.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...uction_7877603
, despite the allegation that Lloyd had earlier murdered his common-law wife, Cherry. It is wrong for any human to take the life of another, but police officers are sworn to protect lives and property, not to be cold-blooded murderers or judge, jury and executioners. The JCF motto is to "serve, protect and reassure".
Officers should not insist on getting the original video and identifying its maker since that might discourage citizens from helping the police. No reaction can bring Lloyd back. No government compensation to his family will be sufficient. Cherry's family also deserves justice, but killing Lloyd was counterproductive. It was most despicable to hear citizens on that video begging the police to shoot the helpless Lloyd.
Jamaica was in an emergency state due to murders since the 1970s, and increased police killings will only exacerbate this evil culture of death. 
, Keith "Trinity" Gardner 
Comment