THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE PUBLIC keeps pressuring the government to bring in police officers from abroad. Why are those people not seeking to have the present police force re-organised and equipped, and measures taken to give these men and women a better salary?
I believe that we have never given our people the necessary tools to do an effective job, yet when they fail our first duty is to call for overseas help, pay them huge sums of money, which in my view shows contempt for the people of Jamaica.
Since I was a child, I knew that the Jamaican people are contemptuous of the Jamaican police. They are always been ridiculed by our people who use names, such as 'Babylon', 'police bwoy', 'dutty police dem', 'licky licky'.
The police force is continually marginalised. Let's take the case of the immigration division when it was manned by police. They were based on Spanish Town Road in a dirty building. As soon as it was 'civilianised' they were moved to a new location with all the modern amenities. Many police stations across the country remain in a state of despair without even one outdated fax machine.
The people and Government of Jamaica have failed to improve, modernise and equip the Jamaican police force, yet they are calling for outside help.
I am, etc.,
CASSANDRA CAMPBELL
melissac@anngel.com
Mineral Heights
Clarendon
