Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:
WHILE VARIOUS initiatives are being undertaken to bring about peace between warring factions in the inner cities and other parts of the island, one high-ranking police officer is denouncing the involvement of criminal gunmen in these negotiations.
Chairman of the Police Officers Association, Assistant Commissioner Leon Rose has charged that in some quarters a subtle attempt is being made in the name of peace to hold negotiations with criminals. He has warned that this was a wrong approach to fighting crime.
Said ACP Rose: "Criminals of the sort that we are dealing with ought not to sit around a table or sit in any company and enjoy the status of having a negotiation being conducted ... after they have murdered and killed babies; it cannot be!"
PEOPLE WITH JUST CAUSE
The assistant commissioner made these comment while delivering the main address at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Ocho Rios held at the Sand Castle Resort in Ocho Rios, St. Ann on Wednesday night. He said negotiations should be held with people with just cause and not those who are determined to kill and cause mayhem.
Noting that the fight against crime has become a fight for the survival of the country, ACP Rose said Jamaicans at all levels must wake up to this reality and be firm in their commitment to fight crime.
"Jamaican people need to understand that," he stressed.
The senior lawman was critical of the Government's approach to fighting crime, pointing out that the resources needed to assist the police in successfully carrying out their duties are not being provided by the government. He said the assistance the police received was minuscule to the problems facing members of the force. He said despite the limitations and the complexities the police have been able to perform well.
