The Editor, Sir:

I am a young Jamaican man who maintains a firm belief in law and order and supports the establishment of an equitable justice system. I believe that the individual who knowingly treats another person unfairly, whether by stealing 500 truck loads of white sand from a private estate or whether a retailer cheats the weight of a two kilogram packet of sugar he puts on the shelf of the supermarket, both should be treated accordingly for having violated the law.

However, that being said there are serious questions about how the country's justice system and its personnel operate.

I cite as an example, an incident which took place along the Tom's River main road on the border of St Mary and St Andrew on August 2, 2008.

Stopped by police

I was travelling from St Andrew to St Mary on an assignment. I was travelling behind a pickup and on reaching the Tom's River main road in the junction, the pickup slowed and seemed about to stop. There was a line of approximately four drivers travelling behind the pickup. The driver of the truck signalled me to overtake and that I did. On clearing the pickup, I was stopped by a policeman from the Castleton station. The officer proceeded to ask me (in a fairly polite way) for "your documents". I complied instantly.

The officer walked away with the papers for my car along with my driver's licence without making clear his intentions. It was then that I exited my vehicle to ascertain what difficulty he was having. At that point the constable informed me that I would be ticketed for disobeying a continuous white line. I informed the policeman twice that the pickup truck driver signalled his intention to stop and that he had called me to go around his vehicle. However, the policemen said he would choose not to believe me.

I guess this is what is meant by an officer exercising his/her discretion. Although my statement was further corroborated by another passenger I had earlier picked up, the officer said he still did not believe me.

Challenging his action

The officer wrote the ticket for a fine of $1,000 citing the offence as disobeying a continuous white line and handed it to me for my signature with a comment: "If you don't sign it, I'll do it for you". I reluctantly signed the ticket. In departing, I told him I would be challenging his action in court and that he should ensure that he was present. I happen to know that absenting themselves is one method used by unscrupulous police personnel intent on frustrating the justice system.

In the end, I decided against challenging the case as it would have been economically unwise of me to waste an entire day and possibly several days travelling to Annotto Bay, St Mary for a court hearing to defend a fine of $1,000. It was definitely more prudent to pay it. That I did on August 22.

The point I want to make is that there seems to be a legal arm involved in the fleecing of innocent Jamaican citizens day after day. Sadly, it is even being done by the very system which is said to offer justice and equality for all. It is my hope that one day (very soon) we will all practice honesty.

I am, etc.,

GOLFREY JONES

golfreyjo@yahoo.com

Temple Hall, St Andrew