Problematic police force
published: Monday | March 31, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM writing to you to publish an incident which happened to me, a 67-year-old Jamaican female travelling to Jamaica over the Christmas holidays to Mandeville, Manchester to visit my family. A driver was hired by my cousin to pick me up from the airport. While travelling to Mandeville the diver stopped along the road and picked up a stranger. The male passenger forced his way into the car on my side of the vehicle, seated himself next to me in my seat, trapping me between the two men.
I asked to move to the back of the vehicle. In my rush to get away from them, I left my hand bag in the front seat. Once back in the car I asked the driver to pass my pocket book to me. Upon arriving at my family home. I realised that all my travellers cheques in an envelope along with some pictures and my airline ticket were gone. I reported this incident to the police in Mandeville the next morning only to be told I was a liar by the police officers at the station. "What am I worried about I will get my travellers cheques back when I returned to America". They where very insulting and rude. I was given a police report which was not very accurate.
Upon my arrival in America, I found out from my bank that all of these stolen travellers cheques were cashed. My bank reported these same cheques on the worldwide web that they where stolen, yet these cheques where cashed in Jamaica. Incidents such as this is an embarrassment to our country and more people need to be aware of them, in order to protect themselves while travelling in Jamaica.
I am so hurt by this incident, I do not plan to return to my own country in the near future. Our Jamaican police department is a disgrace, to Jamaican and foreigner. They are a part of the corruption instead of a solution.
