THE RESPONSES to the acquittal of the seven policemen in the controversial Braeton killings have been predictable relief and elation among their friends and family, a sense of justification for their action among their colleagues, and a sense of further injustice among the relatives of the young men who were slain.
The presiding judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not-guilty having satisfied himself that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the accused.
We make no judgement here as to the guilt or innocence of the policemen involved or the slain young men, whose alleged links to specific crimes prior to the date of their deaths have yet to be established.
But it is not in the best interest of the society for policemen in the lawful conduct of their business of protecting the country's citizens to be made the villains in their fight against criminals. Neither should they be given a carte blanche for extra-judicial killings.
The primary concern of the society should be that Jamaicans and the country's justice system be well-served by its investigative and trial processes. From the outset the contamination of the scene in Braeton by policemen and curious gawkers would have compromised, at the very least, aspects of the investigations. This may be immaterial to persons convinced that 'no angels' were killed at Braeton, or to those who observed that the Prosecution failed to prove its case against the policemen. But at the heart of any respect for a justice system, must be a sense of fair play and that those who hold the reins of power and authority must be held to an especially high standard of conduct and accountability.
We note that subsequent to the Braeton incident, the police now routinely wear gloves when retrieving weapons. This developed because there were sufficient people prepared to raise their voices in protest over how weapons allegedly retrieved from the death house, had been handled up to that point. Quite rightly the protesters did not allow themselves to be side-tracked or intimidated by arguments that they favoured the rights of criminals over the rights of the rest of the society.
Amid demands for strong, firm action to be taken against criminals, many in the society will not be detained by such niceties. They want resolute action irrespective of casualties along the way. This is no way to build respect for the rule of law and order. One way of encouraging greater confidence in investigations involving the police, is to have the independent investigative body of which the Prime Minister spoke some time ago, being quickly put in place.
Respect for the police and the work they do must be buttressed by their own respect for laws and proper procedures. Along with that respect there should be minimum ambivalence in the public's mind as to whether justice has been served.
