We do not embrace, in the absence of credible evidence in support of the claim, the suggestion by Bruce Golding that Tuesday's violence in West Kingston was a direct provocation by the police to mar his constituency ahead of the next general election.

And unless his claim is that the incident was totally contrived and the police shot only at unarmed people, implicit in Mr. Golding's argument is an acceptance that those who were provoked have the weapons with which to respond. The latter point, we suspect, is closer to the truth there needs to be further and better particulars on what constitutes provocation, and what ought to be the rules of engagement of the police if and when they are faced with armed criminals. Indeed, this is where we question the tactics and strategy of the police in Tuesday's incident.

There is no gainsaying, whether it is West Kingston or any other inner-citycommunity in Jamaica, that there are few who would question that many of the young men of violence are armed to the teeth. While the police were engaged in West Kingston, this was being demonstrated in nearby Arnett Gardens where gunmen went on a rampage, apparently in furtherance of a gang feud. Two persons were shot dead.

In the West Kingston violence, two people died. The police claimed immediate responsibility for one of those deaths, whom they say was a criminal who had engaged them in a firefight. It was the death of this gunman, the police suggested, that triggered the large outbreak of violence when other community shooters regrouped and retaliated.

In the process, a second man was shot dead, by whom, the police could not say. The police say they are awaiting the forensic analysis to determine who fired the fatal shot - a member of the police party or one of the gunmen. The dead man, therefore, appears to have been killed in the crossfire. And therein lies part of our problem.

The fact is that this newspaper does not expect the police to shoot only because they have been shot at. We expect that the constabulary is a disciplined group with specific rules of engagement. Those rules, among other things, speak to the protection and preservation of innocent lives.

Unfortunately, there are too many instances of police firing into crowds, at vehicles with passengers, or in built-up communities, in pursuit of criminals, seemingly oblivious to the dangers posed to innocent bystanders. Indeed, there were images from West Kingston on Tuesday of police seeming to be returning fire not at what they could see but what they appeared to have heard. Understandably, the police in Jamaica often face determined and brazen gunmen and have a right and duty to protect their lives.

However, the police cannot behave in the same fashion as the criminals they face. That is where training and leadership come in.

In the case of the West Kingston incident, for instance, we would have thought that regional commanders with their knowledge of the geography of the communities and, with the aid of maps, would have been far more strategic in their response.

We would have expected them to take up the best tactical positions, display great patience, and shoot only as a last resort. That demands good leadership so that discipline and tactics can overcome instinct.