Is restoring confidence in the JCF possible?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

IN AUGUST l ast year, there was a buzz in the news about a poll that indicated low public confidence in the commissioner of police and the police force. In July 2022, I commented in a letter to the editor that a bad apple is generally referred to as someone who creates problems for other people, and whose actions or behaviour negatively influence the larger group of an organisation or make the organisation look bad.

I further added that I ‘dared’ to ‘protest’ about a policeman’s lie, and I paid a ‘price’. He wrote a ticket. I continued that “The constable’s allegation to state something that didn’t go so doesn’t augur well for serving, protecting, reassuring with courtesy, integrity and proper respect for the rights of all.” Arguably, this bad apple could create problems for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

On November 28, RJR News aired an item that said, in part, “....abuse of 11-year-old boy has drawn the ire of Jamaicans for Justice”. It was about a video showing a policeman kneeling in the chest of an 11-year-old boy. JFJ has indicated that the commissioner of police has a duty not to remain silent, noting that silence may send the usual message that nothing will come out of it.

As a former army chief, he doesn’t appear to be doing an effective job. Crime is high and he doesn’t appear to be flexing his erudite muscles of security knowhow. Among other endeavours, we expect him to collaborate with his Military Intelligence Unit partners and lead effective intelligencedriven, crime-fighting operations to help eventually rid the country of the crime monster.

On the other hand, if bad apples are in the bag, why not clean house and throw them out, and replace the bad stock with good stock.

As the saying goes, to keep doing the same things and expect different results is madness. Keeping the bad apples in the force is not a sane idea.

When the commissioner gets wind of atrocities, he should investigate and if the allegations are validated, get rid of the bad apples. This would augur well to mitigate incidence of policemen kneeling in the chest of citizens, among other atrocities, and restore credence to the ‘promise’ of the JCF to serve, reassure and protect.

H. JOHNSON