KINGSTON, Jamaica — In his address to Parliament today, national security minister Horace Chang praised the two young policemen who were cut down by a gunman’s bullets in Horizon Park last Friday.

“Detective Corporal Dane Biggs and Constable Decardo Hylton were professionals of the highest caliber,” said Chang. “They were devoted officers of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who carried out their responsibilities with honour and courage, even under the most extreme and dangerous circumstances.”

“These were two young men with dreams and aspirations of a better, safer Jamaica. They were committed to ridding this country of criminals, and ultimately they gave their lives doing so.

In a call for a national response to the killings, and to crime in general, the minister said Friday’s attack on the police “is a reminder that in addition to political will, what we need is a ground-swell of national support for the work of the security forces”.

“There will be no real change until there is a collective condemnation of criminality,” he said. “The police, on their own, number 12,000. But if we all join the Force for good, then the constabulary would number over two million.”

“Every Jamaica has a responsibility to stand against crime, violence and corruption. We must all support the crime fighting and anti-gang efforts of the police. We must collectively condemn all acts of violence and criminality, and continue to extend support to the Jamaica Constabulary Force – Jamaica’s finest,” Chang urged.

The Horizon Park shootings left Superintendent Leon Clunis and District Constable Richards wounded.