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Whether coincidental or by design, every time over the past 10 years whenever a general election is around the corner the police launch a bloody attack on the Jamaica Labour Party's constituency of Western Kingston. The constituency has had JLP leaders Edward Seaga and Bruce Golding as members of parliament during the period, and it is widely felt that the police action is intended to undermine the JLP leadership. In 1997 the police invaded Tivoli Gardens and in 2001 Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams led a force that killed 26 people whose bodies were allowed to remain on the streets to rot and some eaten by dogs. One security force member was killed in the conflict.
Adams who is still in the force, said recently that he would contest a seat in the coming general election for the People's National Party but this was denied by the PNP. With the general election due shortly, the police recently carried out an operation in Western Kingston which turned out to be bloody. After the 2001 invasion, a senior officer told the then commissioner of police that a trench had been found in Tivoli Gardens which provided an escape route for gunmen, but no evidence has ever been produced to substantiate the claim. On at least one occasion of which I am aware, police radio said that a group of men who had committed an offence outside Tivoli Gardens were "heading for Tivoli Gardens".
The men didn't reach the area. On the one hand, the police argued that every time they attempted to enter Tivoli Gardens to carry out their lawful duties, gunmen in the area opened fire on them. This was not always so. Senior detectives like GC Grant and Tony Hewitt have led teams into Tivoli Gardens to detain men. Once the people of Tivoli handed over a man wanted for murder to the police.
The problem between the police and Tivoli Gardens seems to be the method of operation by the police. Each time they entered Tivoli Gardens firing hundreds and in one case thousands of rounds of ammunition to drive fear into the people, including the gunmen, who are heavily armed. The police will have to change their method of operation and use firepower as necessary. It does not make sense to shoot up an entire community in search of one man or a small group of men. They should know who the culprits are and where they live. This can be established by intelligence.
Yet the Tivoli residents and their political representatives should clearly understand that Tivoli Gardens cannot exist as a state within a state with its own security force. There is no doubt that the community is heavily armed with illegal guns.
The people say that this is necessary in order to defend themselves from armed attacks by political enemies.
Everyone in Tivoli Gardens and outside for that matter, is subject to the laws of the land and members of the police force and army have the right to patrol and arrest any offender anywhere in this country without even the slightest harassment. We know that some members of the force were recruited from PNP garrisons. However, this is inescapable. No one should be denied the opportunity of serving their country.
What is needed is close supervision of lower ranks of policemen by senior officers during operations. Let us face it, the officers of the force today, except for a few exceptions, are quite professional and different in many respects from some of those in the past when the force was dominated by officers who supported the PNP, and who went beyond the call of duty to serve political interests. This also happened during the JLP administration but not to the extent as occurred in the PNP administration. The police should provide more protection for Tivoli Gardens so that there will be no excuse for holding illegal guns and ammunition.
Adams who is still in the force, said recently that he would contest a seat in the coming general election for the People's National Party but this was denied by the PNP. With the general election due shortly, the police recently carried out an operation in Western Kingston which turned out to be bloody. After the 2001 invasion, a senior officer told the then commissioner of police that a trench had been found in Tivoli Gardens which provided an escape route for gunmen, but no evidence has ever been produced to substantiate the claim. On at least one occasion of which I am aware, police radio said that a group of men who had committed an offence outside Tivoli Gardens were "heading for Tivoli Gardens".
The men didn't reach the area. On the one hand, the police argued that every time they attempted to enter Tivoli Gardens to carry out their lawful duties, gunmen in the area opened fire on them. This was not always so. Senior detectives like GC Grant and Tony Hewitt have led teams into Tivoli Gardens to detain men. Once the people of Tivoli handed over a man wanted for murder to the police.
The problem between the police and Tivoli Gardens seems to be the method of operation by the police. Each time they entered Tivoli Gardens firing hundreds and in one case thousands of rounds of ammunition to drive fear into the people, including the gunmen, who are heavily armed. The police will have to change their method of operation and use firepower as necessary. It does not make sense to shoot up an entire community in search of one man or a small group of men. They should know who the culprits are and where they live. This can be established by intelligence.
Yet the Tivoli residents and their political representatives should clearly understand that Tivoli Gardens cannot exist as a state within a state with its own security force. There is no doubt that the community is heavily armed with illegal guns.
The people say that this is necessary in order to defend themselves from armed attacks by political enemies.
Everyone in Tivoli Gardens and outside for that matter, is subject to the laws of the land and members of the police force and army have the right to patrol and arrest any offender anywhere in this country without even the slightest harassment. We know that some members of the force were recruited from PNP garrisons. However, this is inescapable. No one should be denied the opportunity of serving their country.
What is needed is close supervision of lower ranks of policemen by senior officers during operations. Let us face it, the officers of the force today, except for a few exceptions, are quite professional and different in many respects from some of those in the past when the force was dominated by officers who supported the PNP, and who went beyond the call of duty to serve political interests. This also happened during the JLP administration but not to the extent as occurred in the PNP administration. The police should provide more protection for Tivoli Gardens so that there will be no excuse for holding illegal guns and ammunition.
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