Recently I stopped and watched as a man in plain clothes stopped a motorist just outside the City Centre Police Station in downtown Kingston and shouted at him to switch off his vehicle engine and step out of it because he had committed a traffic offence.

This man waved his firearm identifying himself as a policeman and then proceeded to attack the motorist verbally. The driver of the vehicle stayed calm and cooperated and when he got an opportunity, he asked the man with the firearm to produce his identification card. The man took a wallet form his back pocket after the motorist insisted on seeing his identification card and after searching among some papers he had taken from his wallet, he produced the ID. I kept asking myself why the policeman didn't use his ID card in the first place?

I am worried and disturbed at the way some of our policemen treat our citizens on a day-to-day basis and then expect the same citizens to cooperate with them.

Uphold the law

Our police need to recognise that it's the citizens of Jamaica who allow them the opportunity to uphold the law and to enforce it in such a powerful way. They often use the office as if it's theirs and they are only accountable to themselves.

The fact that an entire branch had to be established to investigate corrupt police is one signal that even the Jamaica Constabulary Force has lost confidence in its own; so you can imagine the citizens and where their level of confidence must be.

Some of our policemen need to refocus their efforts and have another look at their oath of office and help us restore peace and tranquillity to our country and not add to the crisis and calamity we already face. I am pleading with our police personel who operate in plain clothes to identify themselves properly to the citizens of the country, especially in simple cases such has a traffic breach.

Our police must be reminded that they are to serve, protect and reassure with courtesy, integrity and proper respect for all.

I am, etc.,

LERON MATTISON

leronmattison@yahoo.com