The Editor, Sir:

On August 19, at a press conference, Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin introduced the 'Police Citizens Charter'.

Parts of this charter mission statement reads, "We will strive to serve and protect our communities and do our best to reduce the fear of crime and the incidents of crime and violence by bringing offenders to justice."

Admiral Lewin, if your job is to implement the rule of law and reinforce public trust in the officers who patrol our streets and neighbourhoods, then Jamaicans are challenging you today to let your actions match the words of this charter. Otherwise, it becomes useless hollow words destined for the trash heap.

The police force must seek to use every tool in its arsenal to end the extortion which seeks to undermine economic development in the transportation sector in several ways.

First, it limits new capital from investing in the industry because potential entrepreneurs like John quoted in The Sunday Gleaner, August 31, and other large businesses have no confidence in the Government's ability to protect operators from the extortionist.

Second, the price of doing business in the bus park will increase and operators will have to pass on this cost to consumers.

Third, the public is cheated out of a service which was supposed to benefit the masses but now only serves a few.

SHARON HIBBERT

hibbertv@aol.com

California