Dear Editor,

The Tivoli Enquiry recently heard evidence from two soldiers of the Jamaica Defence Force who said they witnessed police personnel killing unarmed civilians in Tivoli Gardens during the 2010 operation there. I commend the courage and obvious loyalty of those two soldiers. However, I found it strange that they had to give their evidence from an undisclosed location, and that their identities had to be concealed.

Is it, thereby, assumed that there is or was a threat to the safety and security of those two soldiers. Is it also fair to assume that such a potential threat to the soldiers could only have been posed by those members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) against whom the evidence might have implicated?

If that is so, where does that leave the ordinary citizen who may have cause from time to time to have to give evidence against the police? This certainly is not healthy for our system of justice that the very people who are charged with serving and protecting us, pose a threat to our security in the course of discharging a duty as a citizen in reporting or giving evidence which may implicate our police.

Could we be told by the JCF what action has been taken to determine the identity of those policemen since the incident took place in 2010. It is hoped that they too are not in some undisclosed location and identities concealed.

Colonel Allan Douglas

Kingston 10

alldouglas@aol.com