Dear Editor,

I think Peter Bunting is looking at this situation of curtailing human rights from the wrong point of view. These criminals need to be locked up indefinitely until we rid our country of all these illegal guns, and for this to be done people will face some inconvenience. It will take a unified effort from us, citizens of this country and the Government, to stop crime.

We have long passed the days where police patrol our communities and kick off our doors. I’m sick and tired of it I just wish it all could be resolved.

If our rights as regular citizens need to be deferred momentarily to facilitate the reduction of crime, then so be it. I mean, it’s only for a period of time. No harm can materialise from sitting in a spot check for 30 minutes waiting on the police to search every vehicle. People will argue that they’ll miss appointments, but I’ll say we have to start leaving extra early just in case you might have to sit through a roadblock. At the end of the day we need to get the criminals off the streets.

I was heading home about 3:30 am from an event last week Sunday, exhausted and tired. I was stopped twice by officers doing spot checks on Dunrobin Avenue across from the gas station and on Constant Spring Road below Richie B’s gas station. Of course, I was annoyed, but an explanation was given that they were doing spot checks and that’s totally understandable.

Citizens need to start appreciating the efforts of our officers. There I was heading to the comfort of my home and the officers were out there risking their lives trying to create a safer Jamaica for all of us. This is a free country and we’re free to come and go as we please, but we may have to give up our rights of freely moving from place to place to accommodate the police.

Tajae Anderson

ms.jaeanderson@gmail.com