Gender affairs minister condemns constable’s killing

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has condemned the killing of the Police Constable Damien Blair who was killed at his home in Somerset district in Manchester on Monday.

It alleged that Blair was killed during a dispute with his wife. In a release, Grange said, "Violence among families sadly counts as one the most troubling aspects of the violence besetting our country and my ministry is determined to make a difference in stemming it.

"We have developed a comprehensive complaints and response protocol to provide more avenues for community members to make complaints to the police and other first responders."

Grange added, "This act should also be of deep concern to the entire Jamaica and I appeal to those who have information to speak up and speak out as we have to intervene in the domestic violence that we know is happening next door. Get help. Call for help. Call the help lines, the numbers: 888-553-0387, 888-553-0372."

Grange added that the Bureau of Gender Affairs, which is an agency of the ministry, provides counselling to the immediate and extended families, as well as members of community and school family.

"We can end this violence. It requires all of us to end this violence," the release said.