THE Monday night murder of the island’s seventh policeman since the start of the year, in the quiet hamlet of Haughton Grove, Hanover, has turned thoughts nervously towards the collapsed State of Emergency.

The killing near midnight in the western parish, stirred memories of the attacks on members of the security forces in the run-up to the joint police/military assault on Tivoli Gardens in Kingston, where former strongman and alleged drug kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke was holed up.

Government and Opposition, mindful of their image and public perceptions about commitment to the fight against crime, hastily condemned the gunning down of Corporal Omar Duncan as he investigated a burglary, minutes from his home in the community.

The police yesterday launched a massive manhunt for the killers of Corporal Duncan, a 15-year veteran who was assigned to the Ramble Police Station — not far from the place where he met his death.

“We will robustly pursue the killers of Corporal Duncan as this attack on the security forces will not go unpunished,” Police Commissioner Owen Ellington vowed.

Ellington reminded the men and women under his command that the threat level against the police was still very high, saying: “We have made significant gains in the last two months, however, the murder of Corporal Duncan is a clear indication that criminals are still among us.

“I am therefore urging all my members to be alert, to be prepared, to act professionally and to continue the offensive against criminal elements in the country,” the commissioner said in a thinly veiled reference to the crime measures put in place after the scuttling of the State of Emergency last week Tuesday in Parliament.

But the minister of national security, Dwight Nelson was more direct, suggesting to the country and Corporal Duncan’s colleagues that the criminal elements who were forced to scamper underground since the determined effort to root them out took effect two months ago, were now attempting to resurface.

He commended the “resoluteness and professionalism” displayed by members of the security forces in the operations under the State of Emergency which resulted in crime levels trending down dramatically in recent weeks.

“This must serve as a reminder that the hoodlums are still out there planning to murder, maim and destroy,” said Nelson.

For the Opposition, spokesman on national security Peter Bunting condemned the murder of the cop, saying that his People’s National Party (PNP) was “deeply saddened by the loss of this another serviceman who was gunned down in this cowardly way”.

“This incident is an ugly reminder of the mortal danger our security forces face daily in our country. The Opposition urges all police officers and citizens alike to exercise the greatest caution and vigilance in these times,” said Bunting, who is also general secretary of the PNP.

The State of Emergency came to a screeching halt last Thursday, two days after the Opposition withheld its support for the Government’s resolution to extend it by another 30 days.

Since then, multiple killings, including four murders in Bog Walk, St Catherine, and Monday’s snuffing out of the life of Corporal Duncan, have been cited as proof the State of Emergency was still needed.

The JLP’s influential Area Council 4 used the opportunity to urge the Government to declare another limited State of Emergency, “as by all indications, the previous declaration has proven effective in reducing the murder rate from five to two per day…”.

In a news release, JLP deputy general secretary in charge of the area council, Senator Dennis Meadows, expressed concern “about the surge in murders since the lifting of the State of Emergency evidenced by the quadruple murder in St Catherine and the dastardly killing of Corporal Duncan.”

Meadows charged that the criminals had been emboldened by the failure of Parliament to support another 30-day extension requested by the security forces.

In its own release, the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) said their colleague who had responded to reports that armed thugs were breaking into a shop, was shot by gunmen who opened fire on him, before escaping through a back door. He died while undergoing treatment at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, Westmoreland.

Yesterday, a sombre mood enveloped the Ramble Police Station where colleagues tried to make sense of Corporal Duncan’s untimely demise.

“Corporal Duncan was a very, very hard worker. He was very concerned about people and he would do anything to make people feel comfortable and satisfied,” said a teary-eyed senior cop who asked not to be named.

“Corporal Duncan is irreplacable and members of staff are really, really down because of this incident,” he told the Observer.

Gloom also blanketed the residents of Haughton Grove, who had high praises for the slain cop with whom they enjoyed a good relationship.

One elderly lady recalled that after hearing six gunshots ring out in the near midnight hours, her thoughts had turned to Duncan. She claimed she immediately began to send him a text message when someone called to tell her the grim news, whereupon she fainted.