THE EDITOR, Sir:

Some time ago, one newspaper carried a photograph of a policeman helping an elderly woman to pack her belongings into a handcart as she sought to flee a violence-torn area of Kingston.

That picture troubled me for weeks before I realised the reason. Why, if the police were present, did that citizen feel the need to flee?

For the past few weeks persons are being slaughtered in east Kingston. People are abandoning their homes, leaving belongings behind, sending children in various directions to 'cotch' with any willing person.

Made no difference

The security forces are there in large numbers, but this has not made a difference. The guns are still blazing, confirming in my mind that the violence never stops because of the presence of the security forces, it stops when the warring factions have settled their differences.

Two years ago, in south St. Andrew, there was a similar problem. The reasons, which I don't think the media carried, but was all over the area, was that a large inner-city housing programme was contemplated, and whoever was the reigning don would 'bathe' as the gravy train was going to be the biggest in the country's history.

The security forces came but the killings continued. Until that matter was settled. Bishop Blair needs to understand, too, that sociopathic killers are not likely to be swayed by peace walks. So I keep asking myself, why are our security forces unable to take control of relatively small geographic areas? One excuse is that their opponents have many guns. But they only have two hands.

Are they right?

Don't tell me that access to professional training, here and abroad, helicopters, armoured vehicles and 'intelligence' can't give them an edge over these boys.

Recently, four men, whose histories are known to every Jamaican over the age of ten, were taken in for 'questioning'. Why? Did we think they were going to break down in tears and confess?

Could it be that many of the young men who have guns do so because they do not think the security forces they are paying to maintain can protect them? Could it be that they are right?

I am, etc.,

GLENN TUCKER

Stony Hill, Kingston 9