Many citizens have welcomed the announcement recently by Prime Minister Bruce Golding that he had given instructions for work to proceed immediately towards the establishment of an independent authority to investigate instances of abuse by members of the security forces .

A group of women, in discussing the announcement, said the appointment should have been made years ago.

"I have witnessed many abuses by the police and in many instances some of them are just showing off because they they have the little power over the people," one of the women said.

One of them said that she was still upset with what she witnessed when she was 12 years old.

She recounted that she was standing in her yard when two policemen armed with guns came inside. They said they came to arrest her cousin because they had a report he had beaten his girlfriend.

"When my mother told them that it was the girlfriend who hit her nephew in his head with a frying pot and he boxed her, one of the policemen draped up my mother, boxed her and told her to mind her own business," the woman said. "Well, this is one of the reasons why you sometimes hear me saying that I don't like the police," she added.

One of the women was quick to point out that there are still some good policemen around but she admitted that there are some "very awful ones" who show no respect for poor people.

"I know the criminals will shoot and kill people including police and the police should defend themselves against criminals, but I hate to see and hear cases of police brutalising innocent people" one of the women commented.

The women all believe that the police play an important role in the country but they feel that they should be more courteous and respectful to law-abiding citizens and citizens, in turn, should be respectful to the police.

Section 13 of the Constabulary Force Act sets out the duties of the police which include "to keep watch by day and by night, to preserve the peace, to detect crime, apprehend or summon before a Justice, persons found committing any offence or whom they may reasonably suspect of having committed any offence."

However, section 30 of the act states that if any person "shall assault, obstruct, hinder, or resist or use any threatening or abusive and calumnious language or aid or incite any other person to assault, obstruct, hinder or resist any constable in the execution of his duty every such offender shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $2,000."