POLICE COMMISSIONER CONDEMNS GLORIFICATION OF GUNMEN FOLLOWING SLIGOVILLE OPERATION
Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has strongly condemned individuals who protect, defend and glorify violent criminals while vilifying police officers who confront them. He describes the practice as deeply troubling in the wake of the killing of two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in Sligoville, St Catherine.
The Commissioner questioned the attitudes of those who appear willing to defend gunmen, even after police officers have been killed while carrying out their lawful duties.
Writing in his weekly Commissioner’s Corner in the Force Orders, Dr Blake said the deaths of Corporal Trevoy Shaw and Constable Devoney Rose had brought into sharp focus the dangers faced by police officers and the sacrifices they make to protect the public.
“When two officers are killed in the execution of their duty, what message are we sending when our first instinct is to defend the gunmen, condemn the police and disregard the lives that have been lost?” the Commissioner questioned.
He said he was particularly concerned about individuals who continue to support, protect, excuse and glorify violent criminals while portraying the police as enemies of the communities they serve.
“I find this deeply disheartening. Colleagues, when you put your lives on the line to confront armed men who have demonstrated their willingness to use deadly violence, how can anyone reasonably conclude that you are the villains?”
The Commissioner said the problem extends beyond public expressions of support for gunmen to include individuals who actively assist wanted criminals in evading law enforcement.
“We must stop pretending that support for violent criminals is harmless. Every person who provides a safe haven for a wanted gunman, passes information to help him evade the police, supplies him with resources, or uses public platforms to glorify his violent lifestyle contributes to an environment in which crime is allowed to flourish.”
Dr Blake warned that those who knowingly assist criminals are contributing to the same conditions that expose their communities to violence.
“Those who knowingly assist criminality must understand that they are not helping their communities. They are helping to sustain the very conditions that place their families, their neighbours and their children in danger,” he said.
“You cannot claim to love your community while helping to protect those who make that community unsafe. You cannot demand peace while supporting the very people who wage war against it.”
The Commissioner’s comments follow the deadly confrontation in Sligoville in which Corporal Shaw and Constable Rose were killed while participating in an operation targeting a high-risk criminal.
Dr Blake said the officers had gone to the community to carry out their lawful duties when they came under heavy gunfire. Three gunmen were subsequently shot and killed, while a ten-year-old girl, identified as the daughter of one of the gunmen, was injured during the incident.
The Commissioner said while the officers had no personal connection to the community, they went there because its residents needed protection.
“They went because this country expects its police officers to confront those who threaten the safety and security of our people. Tragically, two families will now have to confront the unbearable reality that their loved ones will not be coming home.”
Dr Blake also criticised the admiration sometimes afforded to individuals who use violence to intimidate communities.
“These hardened criminals who make a living through violence, who kill and maim, who terrorise communities and leave families to grieve, have no legitimate claim to admiration. They may be celebrated in some quarters, but there is nothing admirable about a man whose name inspires fear in the very community in which he lives.”
The Commissioner maintained that the JCF would continue confronting dangerous offenders regardless of their reputation or influence.
“No criminal, regardless of reputation, connections or the fear he may inspire, is above the law,” he said.
He also rejected the suggestion that police officers should be regarded as enemies of law-abiding communities because they confront violent offenders.
“The police are not the enemy of law-abiding citizens. We are not the enemy of the communities in which we serve. We are not the enemy of the mother who wants her child to get home safely, the shopkeeper who wants to conduct business without fear, or the young man who wants to pursue an honest living without being pressured into criminality.”
