THE EDITOR, Sir:LET ME with strength of words say, within the Police Force there are glorious, proud, dutiful dignified men, and women who honour their jobs, and are quite proficient; while on the other hand, there are many 'maggots' (maggitch) destroying the magnificent organisation from within.
The daily news gives an idea of some of the deplorable indulgences of some policemen, and I hear it from many returning residents and visitors.
Recently a young friend of mine on visit, ran into a police roadblock. He said to his astonishment one Police Officer said, "No let mi dung yu know, give me some thing." He gave him $5 US to which he said, with hands in the air "Yu si wa mi mean".
Then the officer turned to a young man who had a lot of jelly coconuts in his car. "Cut one gimme nuh, and full up mi car with some." The next person, a worker at the telephone company, was then pestered by the officer for some kind of equipment.
This is just an embarrassing tip of the iceberg, of men paying-off policemen to get back their licences or vehicles, or cars being towed away for unnamed, and named offences then the car released with a pay-off shared between the two - truck driver, and the police officer.
I have no solutions to this letdown attitude, but I have some recommendations:
(1) The Commissioner could send out warnings, then set traps for these unscrupulous miscreants, bent on polluting the Police Force.
(2) He must exercise extreme scrutiny before recruiting, and warn of dire consequences for corruption.
(3) Encourage civilians to report misdeeds by officers. It has reached a point now, where out of fear, and mistrust for the police and law-abiding citizens see things, and against their consciences remain silent.
Policemen your job is hard, and thankless but please clean up your acts, and help to right our beautiful tropical Jamaica, to which so many yearn to return, but are afraid.
I am, etc.,
BARRY DANNE
