Michael Manley once famously said of his political opponents, "They lie in the morning; they lie at noon and they lie at night." Regrettably, the frequency with which citizens dispute the police's version of an attempt at the apprehension of or the shooting of a civilian would leave many among the general populace to conclude that Mr. Manley's maxim is equally applicable to the security forces, however, untrue.
Yet, we find it difficult to believe that the police routinely lie about their modus operandi as a matter of course. However, in yet another disputed incident on Thursday, citizens and police clashed in St. Elizabeth after the lawmen went to apprehend Roger Banton who they said was wanted in connection with certain criminal acts. Once again we see the rule of law put to the test, as protesters rained missiles upon the lawmen and a television news team as they claimed the police's actions were unwarranted. They are also disputing the police's version of the incident, while insisting that Banton was a benefactor to the community.
We know very little about Mr. Banton beyond what the police have reported and the citizens claimed. But, it is disturbing that as the state elsewhere has ceded authority to, and sometimes accords respectability to benefactors who emerge as so-called area leaders, so increasingly we find citizens giving them the benefit of the doubt in disputes with the forces of law and order.
Thursday's incident highlights a deep deficit in public trust and confidence in the police. The police have been talking about the need for a new approach to community policing. Clearly there is much work to be done.
We need to accept that confidence in the police has been eroded as much by people's willingness to embrace the lawless as well as by the security forces themselves undermining their own authority. There has been a gradual erosion, and it will take time to rebuild that trust. It is a task to which the society as a whole must be committed for the common good. That will require holding the security forces to especially high standards of behaviour while insisting that mob rule, hooliganism and criminality must not be allowed to hold sway.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
