Dear Editor,

There was a very good article by Observer staff reporter Kimberley Hibbert, titled ‘Don’t just trust God and leave yourselves careless’. In it the Church is saying that “Christians should co-operate with the police in the wake of the recent killings of two policemen (52-year-old Corporal Kenneth Davis and Craig Palmer, a 35-year-old constable) and Audley Coleman, a 57-year-old teacher and pastor.”

It also said, “Christians need to become more involved in supporting the work of the security forces in dealing with crime, we must encourage our members to participate by providing information.” I fully agree, but we can go much further. Since the police have a special function that places them at a higher risk than the rest of us, shouldn’t there be some type of special support fund when they are killed?

“Supporters have rallied around the families of two NYPD officers who were killed days before Christmas. The widows of the slain officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu expressed their gratitude Wednesday to a room filled with cops at the Conrad New York Hotel after a non-profit announced it has raised enough money for the widows to pay off their mortgages,” New York’s

Daily News reported. “Nothing will ever bring my brother back, “said Sindy Ramos, officer Ramos’s sister, according to the outlet. “But just to know that my sister-in-law and the boys can sleep just a little bit better amid this tragedy fills a little bit of that gap”.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation garnered about US$860,000 in just the first 10 days after the officers were killed on December 20, and another US$150,000 had been pledged in support of the families.The largest gift of US$50,000 given was by an anonymous donor and the smallest by Wisconsin sisters, ages 9 and 7, decided to donate US$25 they’d received in holiday money.

We as a society, even with such huge problems, can do more than “co-operate” or provide information, we can establish non-profit organisations that can lend tangible benefits to the widows and orphans of slain police personnel. Knowing that your children and spouses will be taken care of if you are killed goes much further and should encourage police personnel to carry out their duty with much more fervour and professionalism.

Mark Clarke

Siloah PO, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com