Dear Editor,

I would like to voice my concern regarding your May 29 article , “Cop counsellors deployed – NCU- trained police officer to help colleagues in crisis”. I think the idea is a good one but logistically it fails miserably. Please tell me which police officer or person you know would go to a colleague to talk to them as it relates to suicidal ideation, and for that matter about what is happening in their personal life.

Most Jamaicans are taught to keep their personal problems to themselves or within their families. Speaking openly about your personal problems is unacceptable and is considered a sign of weakness. For police officers in the Jamaica Constabulary Force these sentiments are no different. Personally, If you are going to set up a body of people to support the police officers with emotional and family problems, it should not be police officers or anyone affiliated with the police force. This has serious ramifications and will make the situation worse. It should be a neutral body. It should probably be in the form of a Helpline (24/7) where officers can be given an ID number to access the line when he or she feels they need to talk to someone. I also believe that most officers appear to be suffering from undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, given the nature of policing in Jamaica.

I think that after the witness of any violent crime or traumatic situation, psychological testing should be administered within five days to query mental health status or whether the officer should be immediately sequestered to desk duty to achieve mental balance. Being a police officer is a hard job, but being a police officer in Jamaica is even harder.

Andrea Laws

Toronto, Canada

andrealaws@cmpmail.com