The Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Associations (CFPWA) on Tuesday said that countries that can utilise the death penalty should impose it on criminals who attack or kill police officers.

The CFPWA indicated that there are concerns about attacks on police officers across the region whilst performing their lawful duties.

As a result, the Association is calling for tougher penalties, including the death penalty for countries that can impose the sanction.

“The CFPWA wants to condemn these attacks and killings of our police officers across the region and calls for harsher penalties to be applied to those who attack police officers. We stand firmly behind the calls for the death penalty to be applied to anyone found guilty of killing a police officer,” the CFPWA said.

“We urge the countries with the death penalty on the books to use it; hang them. They need to be put to the gallows in front of their families and friends. Criminals must understand that their actions have consequences. It must be made unequivocally clear to criminals that when you take the life of an agent of the state, you have given up your right to life when you are found guilty in a court of law,” the Association added.

Recently, in Jamaica, Corporal Oliver Mullings Jr was gunned down by a hail of bullets while on duty in Trench Town.

READ: ‘Cop told wife goodbye three times on day of his death’

The CFPWA added that the killing of police officers on duty has been normalised and has not been considered an attack on the State, claiming that there has not been any public outcry for the death of police members.

“We note with great disappointment that very few voices have come out to condemn these acts against our members, yet many will come out promptly in defence of criminals. A police officer has a family too. We want to ask, where is the public outrage or outcry when a police officer is attacked or killed?” the Association said.

The CFPAW is also imploring legislators to make the necessary amendments to apply stricter punishments for those who attack agents of the state.

“We want to urge legislators around the region to make the necessary amendments to reflect harsher penalties for people who attack agents of the state, those people who have been entrusted to preserve and maintain law and order,” the CFPWA said.