Reneto Adams, Jamaica’s most feared and respected cop while he served, is asking where are the current bold crime-fighters at a time when murders are rising across Jamaica.

Adams, who has largely remained out of the spotlight since he left the Jamaica Constabulary Force after 41 years’ service, said the absence of outstanding crime-fighters was noticeable and unfortunate.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer yesterday, Adams also suggested that the average policeman today was demoralised and was “merely working for a salary”.

He said there was a time when the public would hear names such as Anthony Hewitt; Tony Laing; Keith Trinity Gardner; Cornwall ‘Bigga’ Ford; McGregor and the like — people who were feared by the gunmen.

“From what I have been observing and hearing from policemen from St Elizabeth to Kingston, and from Kingston to Montego Bay, policemen are not stepping out as before. Most are severely lacking in morale,” he said.

Adams attributed the lack of morale to things like the intervention of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) in the work of cops, even while they were on operations.

“I am very supportive of agencies like INDECOM, because there needs to be checks and balances, but it cannot be helpful to be stepping in even while the police are in the middle of an operation.

“That is likely to cause the officer to have doubts and second thoughts when he should be concentrating on the criminal. He will be wondering what will happen to him, even if he has followed the law. In Jamaica, everything comes down to interpretation, so one cannot be certain.

“INDECOM should come in after the operation to shine the spotlight on the actions of the police, not while they carrying it out,” said Adams.

He argued that the recurrence of people on bail committing murders was another factor demoralising policemen and women.

Yet another factor was that there were no laws that were a deterrent to criminals.

Adams pointed to the zones of special operations law, noting that the legislation had gone through almost 90 amendments before it could be adopted. He charged that all the teeth in the law were removed, possibly to satisfy an international agency.

“The crime that we have today was carved out of Independence. We don’t have the home anymore where children are disciplined by parents, and we are leaving that up to the schools, which can’t manage. We have to get a grip,” said Adams.

— Desmond Allen