Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Dr. Peter Phillips, yesterday laid a wreath in Trafalgar Park, St. Andrew, to memorialise the killing of five policemen since January.
The gesture appeared to have been a move to appease some members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) who last Saturday expressed surprise at Dr. Phillips' absence from the funeral of Inspector Lascelles Walsh, formerly of the Traffic Division.
The inspector, a popular policeman whose voice many Jamaicans had come to know on radio, and two other policemen were killed three weeks ago in a daring and coordinated attack on the police force.
Nine policemen have been killed since January.
Dr. Phillips, who was in charge of the Government, represented Prime Minister P.J. Patterson at a function the same day, as the Prime Minister was overseas.
"Prior to the funeral on Saturday, he (minister) had told the commissioner of police and the chairman of the Police Federation that he would not be able to attend the funeral on Saturday, but that he would attend the other one (Hewitt Chandler) on Sunday," Donovan Nelson, one of Dr. Phillips' aides, told The Gleaner yesterday.
Accompanied by Deputy Commissioner of Police Jevene Bent, who is in charge of administration, Dr. Phillips said the brief ceremony was to express solidarity with the majority of Jamaicans who want to see the back of crime broken.
