News

Noel Thompson, Gleaner Writer

Swollen, teary eyes were part of the tapestry of pain which swept through Sheffield Seventh-day Adventist Church in Westmoreland on Sunday, as Corporal Omar Duncan was remembered as much for his good-naturedness as for the valiance which marked his death.

More than 1,000 mourners travelled from all across the island to attend the funeral, particularly from Hanover where he served up to the time he was murdered.

Civilians spoke vividly of their love for Duncan, who they described as a "gentleman and one of the most decent policemen" the Jamaica Constabulary Force had seen.

"He was the best police I have ever known. I don't think there is another like him in the force. He was on call 24/7, no matter what the situation was," a female resident said, as she journeyed to the family plot along with her elderly mother.

"If I could afford it, I would construct something in his honour."

Duncan was attached to the Ramble Police Station at the time of his death. He was ambushed and shot by gunmen on July 26, as he tried to foil a shop break-in at Chester Castle. He had completed duty and gone home when residents called and informed him about the incident.

The mourners were led by assistant commissioner of police in charge of Area One, Denver Frater, and member of parliament for Eastern Hanover, Dr D.K. Duncan.

Superintendent Dermot Lawrence, head of the Hanover Police Division, said the corporal would be extremely missed.

"He has left a void in our lives and his shoes will be hard to fill," said Lawrence.

Hanover child services officer Carol Warburton said Lawrence had left an indelible mark in the communities he served.

In his sermon, Pastor Vencott Dyer said the decline of neighbourhood-watch programmes made policing more difficult.

"There's no respect for the police but we have to realise that without them our nation is in turmoil. Some police are not deserving of the dignity of the uniform they wear, but I know there are decent police in the force," the pastor said.

"We need to return to the place where the police will resist corruption and return to their pledge to serve and protect."

noel.thompson@gleanerjm.com