If a so-called Don gets killed one way or the other, it is probably a safe bet that there are going to be other criminal thugs at his interment.
If that is true, depending on the notoriety of the scum which was eradicated, it is reasonable to presume that they will have guns with them.
There is a general unwritten rule which cops across the globe have stuck to as it relates to places of worship and moments in which families are in grief, they are treated with a certain degree of deference.
That deference is generally given to some degree, as long as those attending funerals for the deceased criminals do not themselves break the laws.
In a country like Jamaica where criminals are predisposed to doing exactly what they please it ought to be in the interest of law enforcement to be much more proactive in its approach.
You know the thugs are going to be at the funerals and you know they are likely going to bring their weapons and in far too many cases are going to use them to offer salutes to the imbecile who met his just due.
Why would the police not have resources in place to deal appropriately with this practice?
The police must not only show strength in dealing with the scourge of lawlessness and brazen depravity we see in the killings, it must demonstrate cunning and dexterity in countering those who would unleash their brutish brand of barbarism on the nation.
Simply put, the Police must keep criminals off balance in order to have a chance at success. As it stands criminals have the Police off balance and that does not bode well for law-abiding Jamaicans.
The Police must have undercover cops at funerals. Apart from guns and ammunition which are likely to be at these events they are a potential treasure trove of intelligence for law enforcement.
These are the events which bring out criminals aligned to criminals, these are the times the police should bring out the cameras to make the connections.
This intelligence is critical in forging linkages and are invaluable to future investigations.
Is it too much to expect the Police to show a little bit of critical thinking[not a great deal which may actually make the force seem like a real police department] sic, just enough to convince the people to keep this department?
I mean come on Commissioner Quallo, you have a large bunch of paper pushers who shouldn’t even be on your staff, why are they not being required to produce results?
Policing to a large extent is common sense, it is a chess game which requires officers to preempt the moves of those who would break the laws and be one step ahead of them.
Presently the JCF is not playing chess, it is still learning to play checkers.
Having served in the department for a decade I have seen the lethargy and lack of imagination, I have seen the lack of fortitude and the lack of follow up.
Despite the much-hyped improvements to the force since I served in the early 90’s, there has not been much evidence to support the hype.
The department is working with exponentially more than we ever hoped to have back in my days, and understandably the challenges the force faces today are greater.
With that said, I understood when I served that we could accomplish a great deal more and we could have been far more effective if we had effective leadership in my time.
The same is true today, the police department has not demonstrably shown that it can be trusted to produce results over and above that which it already does.