Massive gun find widens trust gap

Owen Ellington

The Editor, Sir:

The recent massive gun and ammunition find in Mountain View reflected two key issues in the Jamaica Constabulary Force. On the one hand, thankfully, there are still steadfast policemen and women who are bent on ridding the nation of corruption at that level, and on the other hand, the people of Jamaica now have even more reason to lose trust in the force itself. Incidents like these help to further widen the gap of trust between the Jamaican police and the people themselves.

In times past, I have been told (I am still quite young) of how much respect people seemed to have for a police officer, whether on or off duty. I've been told of stories when if one were to see a police coming up the road, a 'good morning' would have to surface, or one would be labelled disrespectful or ill-mannered. Not so much these days.

Acting Commissioner Owen Ellington's tasks are many, but one of the most imperative is to restore the integrity of the police force and win back the trust of the Jamaican people. They need to feel that they are being served, protected and, perhaps most important, reassured.

I am, etc.,

Donneil O. Linton

lintonism1@yahoo.com