The Editor, Sir:

Where have all the benevolent beings of a nation like ours gone? Where is the respect for authority, self and others? These are some questions that would arise in anyone's mind when he or she reads a headline, such as 'Cop slain'.

I am making an allusion to the recent murder of Sergeant Cleveland Wilson at the Bushy Park Housing Scheme in Clarendon, on Tuesday, July 31, 2007. What would urge another human being to end a lawman's life? This is a clear indication of the disintegration of moral values we face as a society.

Lack of jobs as an excuse

I have sat and heard a lot of blubbering about one of the main causes of crime is lack of jobs and youngsters seeking refuge in taking up the gun. Was it the lack of job that caused a 15-year-old boy (gunman) to be killed by lawmen in a shoot-out in the west sometime ago?

Let us face the facts, not blaming these acts on politics, lack of jobs, etc., but instead, let us look at it in our homes. This is where we all started our understanding of the importance of morals and values and this is where it is going to end. There have been too many wake-up calls and, as Jamaicans, we are too sound asleep. Wake up, Jamaicans and smell the coffee before the time comes when we will be drinking coffee at your wake!

I am, etc.,

ROMANE ALLWOOD

Romane_wood@yahoo.com

Kingston