DRIVEN by a burning desire to serve, protect and help in the fight to stem Jamaica’s overwhelming crime wave, four young police recruits say they have no fear and are eager to play their roles in making the country safer.

The four student constables — Dwain Greves, Nadia Deans, Donovan Lewis Jnr, and Julian Reid — were guests at the weekly Observer Monday Exchange meeting of reporters and editors yesterday and expressed a desire to make their contribution to nation building.

The four will graduate in two passing out ceremonies scheduled for later this month.

“Initially when I joined [the police force] I had fears of being killed, but after going through training and being exposed to different levels of training, I think it has equipped me to execute my duties in a safe way,” said Reid. “I have made up my mind that if I die in the line of duty it would be while doing something that I am passionate about. I am not afraid.”

Reid’s statement of bravery and desire to serve, which was shared by her colleagues, comes two days after a policeman was shot and seriously injured at Portsmouth in St Catherine by gunmen who attacked him as he sat with a female pillion rider on his motorcycle.

The gunmen stole the cop’s 9mm Glock service pistol.

Five police officers have been killed since the start of the year, while 11 were murdered last year.

The last cop to be killed in the line of duty was Constable Ainsroy Rushton of the St Andrew North Police Division. Rushton was mowed down as he attempted to prosecute a motorist for a traffic violation in April.

Police reported that the driver jumped into the motor car and attempted to drive away after he was informed that because his documents were not valid he would be charged and the vehicle seized.

The driver ended up dragging the cop for several yards before the vehicle crashed into a wall. Rushton was seriously injured and was rushed to hospital where he died while being treated.

In February, Constable Miguel Cuff was killed after gunmen lured him out of his house at Rosemary Lane, near to Naggo Head, bound his hands and abducted him.

The gunmen, who reportedly shouted that they were police when they went to Cuff’s home, later torched and shot up the house. His body was later found in his Toyota Hiace minibus in the nearby community of Southborough. He had three gunshot wounds to the head.

But these statistics had little bearing on the psyche of Student Constable Lewis, who joined the constabulary with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Psychology and an Associate of Science degree in Biology.

Lewis said the high crime rate and the brutality of the island’s criminals were motivation enough to erase the fear of death.

According to the articulate young man, being a police officer is a special calling that means service above self.

“My biggest fear was my mother and what she would have thought. Initially she was a bit apprehensive, but as I explained to her my reason for joining she sort of lightened up. Training has really caused me to see that I can do things that I thought that I could not have done,” he said. “Getting over fear is one such thing. I am no longer fearful of what might be meted out to me out there. My biggest fear is not carrying out what is expected of me.”

Greves, who hails from St James, said he was motivated to make a difference, given the high crime rate in the parish of his birth.

“You cannot be fearful with such a society as this because if all the citizens become fearful then our country is gone,” he said. “We have to have people who will step up to the plate and who are willing to put their lives and their family’s lives at risk. You cannot let fear cripple you.”

Deans said danger was part and parcel of policing and she was prepared to face danger head on in defence of her country.

“Being a police officer you should not be fearful, because if you are fearful how can you eliminate the fears of others?” she asked. “So fear is not a part of me.”