THE Jamaica Police Federation’s sharp rebuke of criminality in the Jamaica Constabulary Force has been met with much cynicism by Jamaica Observer online readers. In an article published yesterday, head of the federation, Sergeant Raymond Wilson, condemned unlawful acts being carried out by members of the force amidst allegations of the involvement of a lawman in a botched robbery in Clarendon on Monday. Here are some edited comments.

Chapter1

Yea, yea, yea, blah, blah, blah! We have been saying it all along that there are way too many criminal elements within the JCF but the high command usually “shoot wi dung” by telling us there are only a few bad apples. The whole orchard needs to be purged.

Jamyouth

@Chapter1: So does that mean the entire Jamaica needs purging since it’s the ‘ordinary’ Jamaican who joins the police force?

Sondon

What kind of veracity are you waiting on? Didn’t you see the video? The man even wore a wig, for crying out loud! What we need is a release of the bastard’s name. You have a lot more there, sir.

jayjayja

Now INDECOM is seeking to know the truth, which can help to clear the cop’s name or protect him. So Wilson, Indecom is still bad?

SorrellDrink

@jayjayja: And how long should it take INDECOM to confirm this? If it takes them this long just to confirm that the two are legitimate policemen then they are not doing a good job.

Matlock2

Mr Wilson this is the reason for groups like INDECOM, this is the reason why police are killed. Corruption and greed. When a police officer carrying out his/her lawful duties gets killed, it is a tragedy. But it’s behaviour like this and others that sometimes contributes to it, not because of INDECOM. It is sad that the people who swear to protect and serve get caught up in illegal activities.

Echelon45

Finally, after about four such instances, they won’t condone the legal gunmen. INDECOM must have its place.

Tony tuff

Dem lawman ya nah joke. Gwaan squaddy, show you true colours as if John Public nuh know. Granny say every dog have him day and every puss him four o’clock. Done in dark, mus’ come to light.

noshel

Well, Mr Wilson, this is why most of us Jamaicans support INDECOM and now MOCA, because somehow it seems you have been sleeping for several years, not to know that there are real criminals among the ranks, in the JCF!

I am not new to it!

PhilT McNasty

Couldn’t happen at a better time when they were trying to flog INDECOM. YESSSS!

John H Christian

Wilson is cornered verbally… can’t bob and weave thru this one. In essence he had to ADMIT publicly… the JCF has criminals in there.

Mike jones

If these allegations are true then these officers must pay the full price for their corrupted deeds, they should be serving and protecting us, not wheeling and dealing! This only sends a bad message to the public. Hurry up with this investigation so we can know what to do with them.

CArlton Reynolds

As if you didn’t know long time. And, since the JCF has done little about the criminality within its ranks, it must be inferred that it is a corrupt Force. Your condemnation rings hollow.

Blind-with-eyes-wide-Open

Condemnation is one thing, weeding dem out is another.

Pure mouth and no action won’t change a ting.

Roger Gordon

@Blind-with-eyes-wide-Open: Weed them out and replace them with who? A country that many grow up seeing their parents stealing light and water, and often fruits from their neighbours property. A country where petty crimes are often excused and accepted, as done because of poverty. You think it will be easy to recruit police, when many of the citizens are born and raised around some kind of thievery?

PhilOiseaubay

@Blind-with-eyes-wide-Open: True, true! Just empty words from Wilson because everyone knows that police criminality has been out in the open for decades. Wilson betrays his owns words with his unsympathetic stance on INDECOM, which all adds up to nothing being done to clean up his people.

sharon ewars

I am listening to hear that the security who shot the police have something bad befall him. Police protect their own, especially if dirty. I recall Kentucky Kid’s case.

Peter Sparks

Need action, not a bag of mouth.

fieldgar

Mr Wilson, now you see why we need INDECOM. Condemnation won’t cut it, so man up and retract and apologise for your recent irresponsible statement.

tyroneosborne

@fieldgar: That will be something to see; even the young MP should consider these incidents; so he can “wheel and come again”.

negril

My sentiments exactly, well stated. Get all the crooked police out for taking bribes from drug men and motorists. Imagine that a policeman going to rob. A bank. SHAMEFUL!

1H3

Well said, Mr Wilson. I am a supporter of the JCF’s effort to rid our country of criminal thugs, wherever they are. Please continue to encourage the rank and file to report the criminals that may be hiding in their midst.

RiddleMeThat

Well said, Sargie!

jayjayja

INDECOM is the cause of this. The policemen are afraid to do their jobs because they are afraid they could be arrested by INDECOM. They are demoralised by INDECOM so they choose to engage in wrong out of sheer fear of INDECOM.

reidaut

This cannot be a good week for the Police Federation and the JCF. I applaud Mr Raymond Wilson on his public statements condemning actions of crooked members of the police force. We also need to hear from the security minister and also our “working, working” prime minister. They cannot be silent with the increase in theft, corruption and other criminal conduct, in and out of government, that pervade our country.

Sentiments

Why the police won’t call the name of the thief? If it were another citizen, name call long time!

Demusone

Also, if the allegations are true, our public trust and partnership have been seriously undermined. Is this the joke of the year? You can only undermine something that exists. Gimmi a break!

JustandBalance

I like Wilson’s vitriol. The reality is, corruption is an endemic fixture in the JCF, and by extension, Jamaica’s society on many levels. They have been ridding the force of these rogue scoundrels only to be replenished with a new crop. This is what it is… we just have to rid the ones who get caught.

Rick Dees

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” Who is policing the policemen?

Thinkfirst

Stop protecting their names and faces when these scumbags break the law. They are outlaws and need to be exposed to the public because they might be suspects in other crimes.

kgn13

Wilson is just trying to save his face; while he’s there talking about condemnation, his police force is out there still hustling and trying to eat-a-food off whomever they can prey on.

Randy

It is rather ironic that so many people are using blanket statements to condemn police officers when they are the only barriers between them and savage criminality. Sure there are renegade cops, but the great majority of police officers uphold the law, and are doing a good job despite the conditions under which they work.

NejeeperKNG

When a society gets to the point in which certain truths can’t be told – and honest views are suppressed – it is a hint as to where that society is going… which is nowhere. Observer, I love JA… I am also aware of not airing our dirty laundry in public. However, many facts about JA are on the Internet. It is time for us as a people to start speaking the truth by highlighting our ailments and seek solutions/cures. Too many in law enforcement are supporting the wrong side of the law.

Angella Brown

Sorry, Mr Wilson, you are just coming to realise that our police force is corrupt…

Ken

Maybe we should consider getting our police from some place else other than Jamaica. Too much corruption amongst the people, so how can we expect anything less than the source from which they (the police) are selected?

A.L.Smalling

Every police officer should undergo random lie detection at regular intervals, overseen by an independent civilian body.