THE EDITOR, Madam;
A policeman's job is to protect citizens, enforce the law and serve the community. Policemen who are on the frontlines and who come across dangerous criminals on a regular basis are in a more potentially dangerous position than their counterparts who are assigned to posts such as desk duty, traffic duty or engage in community policing.
Policemen who serve on frontline duty are consistently required to go into dangerous communities in search of illegal guns and/or to capture suspected or known criminals. In the pursuit of his duty, such a policeman faces heavy psychological challenges on a daily basis which builds and can reach breaking point if not treated or if he is not taken off frontline duty.
Regular exposure to dangerous situations and dangerous criminals makes him particularly vulnerable to using excessive force. The result is that such a policeman may become involved in extra-judicial killings and the use of excessive force, not because he is necessarily wicked or unlawful but, because he is psychologically burdened.
The Commissioner of Police in such a situation has to make some firm decisions on how to handle such a critical matter. In making his decision, the Commissioner has to be guided by what is, collectively, in the best interest of the policeman or policemen in question, the JCF and the general public. In short, sometimes the Commissioner has to save a policeman from himself.
Because of the implicit and explicit danger under which a frontline policeman operates, I would recommend that the JCF have two special anti-crime task units. The first unit could serve for the first six months of the year while the second unit could serve for the remaining six months of the year, and so on.
Such a system would allow for the members of the two respective crime units to get a six-month break from frontline duty each year. During these breaks, the members of the respective units could be assigned to other less dangerous duties within the JCF.
I am, etc.,
PATRICK A. GALLIMORE
pagalley@hotmail.com
Kingston
