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All talk, no solutions from JFJ
Published: Wednesday | November 27, 2013 0 Comments
Dr Carolyn Gomes
Howard Hamilton
Howard Hamilton
1 2 >
Howard Hamilton, GUEST COLUMNIST
The recent calling for the head of the commissioner of police by Dr Carolyn Gomes of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is most unfair and unjustified.
She inherently submits that the murder rate for 2013 would be a cause of concern for even a First-World country, much less for little Jamaica, but she offers no suggestion as to what the commissioner should have done, or be doing, to stem this haemorrhage, short of stopping them before they occurred.
Now, a First-World country murder rate requires First-World crime-fighting equipment. Is Dr Gomes saying the commissioner of police should be preventing these murders from taking place in the first place, e.g., murders which could have had their inception from perceived infidelity, family disputes over land, or sheer Jamaican provoked rage. That, surely, cannot be the job of any commissioner of police.
What about murders where criminal groups have killed their own members or rivals? I would think that this batch would be welcomed by the commissioner of police. But those are just practical aspects of the problem that cannot be laid at the feet of the commissioner.
The real question Dr Gomes should have asked of the commissioner is "Do you have the modern machinery and manpower? Are your patrol cars equipped with computers that can give information of every licensed vehicle on the road within seconds? Have you got the firepower that can match what he knows to be on the streets? Does he have under his command the necessary manpower that he needs to really police this island?"
When she is satisfied that he has been provided with all the above and has failed, then, and only then, can she call for his removal.
Furthermore, has Dr Gomes ever stopped to consider what the life of a police officer and family members entails EVERY DAY OF LIFE, when he/she leaves for work. They do not know if they will be coming home that evening.
different approach
So, I would make bold to suggest to Dr Gomes to try a different approach in your dealing with the police. Instead of calling for his removal for reasons that are beyond his control, go and sit with him and try to find out how your organisation can help him in his mammoth task.
Next, demonstrate to the rank and file of the force that you are not the enemy. I have heard complaints from them that neither she nor her organisation has ever attended the funeral of a police officer, male or female, who was murdered in the line of duty or off-duty; and some have gone further to say that your name should be changed from 'Jamaicans for Justice' to 'Jamaicans for just us'.
The police are the most unloved, unappreciated, yet most vital members of a stable society. Dr Gomes should join forces with them to advocate for the police to be adequately equipped to protect the country in the 21st century.
Howard Hamilton, QC, is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.
Published: Wednesday | November 27, 2013 0 Comments
Dr Carolyn Gomes
Howard Hamilton
Howard Hamilton
1 2 >
Howard Hamilton, GUEST COLUMNIST
The recent calling for the head of the commissioner of police by Dr Carolyn Gomes of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is most unfair and unjustified.
She inherently submits that the murder rate for 2013 would be a cause of concern for even a First-World country, much less for little Jamaica, but she offers no suggestion as to what the commissioner should have done, or be doing, to stem this haemorrhage, short of stopping them before they occurred.
Now, a First-World country murder rate requires First-World crime-fighting equipment. Is Dr Gomes saying the commissioner of police should be preventing these murders from taking place in the first place, e.g., murders which could have had their inception from perceived infidelity, family disputes over land, or sheer Jamaican provoked rage. That, surely, cannot be the job of any commissioner of police.
What about murders where criminal groups have killed their own members or rivals? I would think that this batch would be welcomed by the commissioner of police. But those are just practical aspects of the problem that cannot be laid at the feet of the commissioner.
The real question Dr Gomes should have asked of the commissioner is "Do you have the modern machinery and manpower? Are your patrol cars equipped with computers that can give information of every licensed vehicle on the road within seconds? Have you got the firepower that can match what he knows to be on the streets? Does he have under his command the necessary manpower that he needs to really police this island?"
When she is satisfied that he has been provided with all the above and has failed, then, and only then, can she call for his removal.
Furthermore, has Dr Gomes ever stopped to consider what the life of a police officer and family members entails EVERY DAY OF LIFE, when he/she leaves for work. They do not know if they will be coming home that evening.
different approach
So, I would make bold to suggest to Dr Gomes to try a different approach in your dealing with the police. Instead of calling for his removal for reasons that are beyond his control, go and sit with him and try to find out how your organisation can help him in his mammoth task.
Next, demonstrate to the rank and file of the force that you are not the enemy. I have heard complaints from them that neither she nor her organisation has ever attended the funeral of a police officer, male or female, who was murdered in the line of duty or off-duty; and some have gone further to say that your name should be changed from 'Jamaicans for Justice' to 'Jamaicans for just us'.
The police are the most unloved, unappreciated, yet most vital members of a stable society. Dr Gomes should join forces with them to advocate for the police to be adequately equipped to protect the country in the 21st century.
Howard Hamilton, QC, is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.
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