As Jamaicans mark the emancipation of slaves and secondly the birth of our independent nation, two incidents related to justice and the struggle to deal with crime have been particularly disturbing for this newspaper.

We refer to the death of a young man accused of involvement in the murder of a policewoman and also to the theft of guns from a security company.

In the first case, 29-year-old Mr Marlon Cherrington, otherwise called ‘Kemar Anderson’, of Kidd Lane, Kingston 11, who was suspected of involvement in the murder of Constable Crystal Thomas died in hospital last Friday. He succumbed to injuries he suffered two weeks earlier while in a cell at the Hunt’s Bay Police Station. The police allege that he had been beaten by cellmates.

In the second case, we are told that, in a late-night incident on the weekend, three gunmen held up a guard at a security firm on Lyndhurst Road and left with items including six guns and 72 rounds of ammunition.

In the latter incident, an obviously annoyed Assistant Commissioner of Police Ealan Powell suggested on national television that there had been serious negligence on the part of the security company and, further, that the lone guard was unarmed.

In a press release, the police have said they are investigating the weapons heist and “remain adamant” in the drive to rid the country of illegal weapons.

What’s not clear is whether minimum standards have been established for the storage of guns and ammunition by security companies and the like. If the standards are in place and were breached, then this newspaper expects maximum sanctions against the security company.

If minimum standards are non-existent, or are inadequate, then that would qualify as appalling negligence on the part of the authorities, including the police — a loophole which must be corrected immediately.

Regarding the death of Mr Cherrington, an understandably disturbed Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams has issued a reminder that: “The police have a responsibility to protect all persons within their custody, and any failure to give full protection to individuals in our custody is a serious violation of our duty to ensure the safety of persons in police lock-ups.”

We agree with Dr Williams that the incident underlines the need for improved security and surveillance on cell blocks, including the installation of CCTV cameras.

At a time when the police need all the help they can get from the public, the last thing that’s needed is an incident such as led to the death of Mr Cherrington.

As Jamaicans and their leaders strive to build a nation of which heroes long dead would be proud, they must develop the habit of attending to details — small though some may consider them to be — such as we have discussed here.