Dear Editor,
Having read the article dated Monday February 4, 2013, on former ACP Les Green, I am inclined to say I wholeheartedly agree with his claims. It is common knowledge that Jamaica does have a rather antiquated system that is being used to fight modern crimes, and the work ethic described in the report is, in fact, institutionalised. This laid-back mentality is not confined to the JCF and the sad part is that many Jamaicans revel in this mindset and attitude and would even consider it an admirable trait.
The JCF really is a "step back in time". Have you ever wondered why at some police stations you would find bars, staffed by police personnel? Have you ever stopped to question why police officers drink in their uniforms? Have we ever stopped to question their operational code of conduct, or lack of it? Ohhhh, this is Jamaica, mon, no problem, everiting irie. Bribe taking is normalised, among many other ills of the profession. We still have a police force and not a police service. Hence, we embrace the colonial-era paramilitary unit that was put in place to suppress poor black people. That mentality has not changed in 2013.
I have had to ask myself several times, "Do these men and women who swore to protect, serve and reassure really know what those words mean?" Protecting and serving is really about apprehending and NOT executing, which seems to be what is done mostly by the JCF. So much so, that they have started to execute their own members. I vehemently believe it is high time that we, as a people, stop accepting mediocrity. We will always sit back and allow outsiders to come and point out to us our dirty deeds. Did you realise that we didn't order our artistes to produce 'clean' lyrics until the international markets imposed bans and sanctions? We are much too caught up playing hypocrites who all wished that our nastiness stay hidden, rather than cleansing ourselves of the grime and slime we have got so accustomed to.
Jamaica does have some great men and women, even in the JCF. However, we are not united in our cause and that simple fact is what is tearing the nation to shreds. As a youth, I do not wish to keep silent. I believe we all need to stop broadcasting great messages from the rooftops and roll up our sleeves to get our hands involved in purging this nation of unwanted elements. No need to worry, when we are proud to embrace things that paint a negative light, as in the VW advertisement "... you're 3 minutes late", "cho boss, everiting irie mon..."
We are in too much of a sad state, but there is still hope.
Dei-Rasi Freckleton
Chairman of the Clarendon Youth and Child Protection Committee
deidibomma@yahoo.com
I agree with Les Green
-->
Having read the article dated Monday February 4, 2013, on former ACP Les Green, I am inclined to say I wholeheartedly agree with his claims. It is common knowledge that Jamaica does have a rather antiquated system that is being used to fight modern crimes, and the work ethic described in the report is, in fact, institutionalised. This laid-back mentality is not confined to the JCF and the sad part is that many Jamaicans revel in this mindset and attitude and would even consider it an admirable trait.
The JCF really is a "step back in time". Have you ever wondered why at some police stations you would find bars, staffed by police personnel? Have you ever stopped to question why police officers drink in their uniforms? Have we ever stopped to question their operational code of conduct, or lack of it? Ohhhh, this is Jamaica, mon, no problem, everiting irie. Bribe taking is normalised, among many other ills of the profession. We still have a police force and not a police service. Hence, we embrace the colonial-era paramilitary unit that was put in place to suppress poor black people. That mentality has not changed in 2013.
I have had to ask myself several times, "Do these men and women who swore to protect, serve and reassure really know what those words mean?" Protecting and serving is really about apprehending and NOT executing, which seems to be what is done mostly by the JCF. So much so, that they have started to execute their own members. I vehemently believe it is high time that we, as a people, stop accepting mediocrity. We will always sit back and allow outsiders to come and point out to us our dirty deeds. Did you realise that we didn't order our artistes to produce 'clean' lyrics until the international markets imposed bans and sanctions? We are much too caught up playing hypocrites who all wished that our nastiness stay hidden, rather than cleansing ourselves of the grime and slime we have got so accustomed to.
Jamaica does have some great men and women, even in the JCF. However, we are not united in our cause and that simple fact is what is tearing the nation to shreds. As a youth, I do not wish to keep silent. I believe we all need to stop broadcasting great messages from the rooftops and roll up our sleeves to get our hands involved in purging this nation of unwanted elements. No need to worry, when we are proud to embrace things that paint a negative light, as in the VW advertisement "... you're 3 minutes late", "cho boss, everiting irie mon..."
We are in too much of a sad state, but there is still hope.
Dei-Rasi Freckleton
Chairman of the Clarendon Youth and Child Protection Committee
deidibomma@yahoo.com
I agree with Les Green
-->