Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Constabulary Force Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch is more concerned with traffic violations than its other duties.

While en route to work on Friday morning via downtown Kingston, which is notorious for chaos and criminal activities, the police were in the area ruthlessly hunting taxis. One officer, presumably in charge, was busy ticketing a driver. This caused a number of taxis to avoid the area, slowing the process of getting to one’s destination from downtown.

As I stood at the taxi stand waiting for the police to leave so I could get on with my business, I watched, in utter disbelief, another police vehicle swerve across an already congested lane — no warning, no flashing lights or honking horns to warn both pedestrians and motorists. The policeman suddenly stopped the vehicle in the middle of traffic to block a taxi man who tried to bypass his distracted colleagues a few feet away to get a “load” quickly. Thank God there wasn’t a collision as a result of the reckless driving of this law enforcement officer!

The visible scowl on my face drew the attention of the police officer who was driving the aforementioned vehicle. While still in the vehicle, he proceeded to ask me what the look meant; I ignored him because I knew my answer would get me in trouble. The officers alighted the vehicle as if an emergency was afoot to deal with the taxi driver who had committed the infraction. Mind you, the taxi driver was already out of his car and appeared to be acknowledging that he was in the wrong, so I was puzzled by the level of urgency being displayed by the police officers.

Shortly thereafter, a few metres away from the taxi driver drama, I heard a commotion behind me, the police, focused on their traffic-related duties, were oblivious to what was happening almost under their noses — a robbery and stabbing. Ironically, the vehicles they were driving were clearly labelled “Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch”.

How ‘fortunate’ for us Jamaicans that we have a police force that is unaware of its full responsibility to the public as it chases the tails of taxis while public safety is at risk. While the officers were engrossed in ticketing taxi operators, someone’s life was in danger — a real emergency was at hand. To my shock, “all now dem nuh hear wat a gwaan!” Even the juice vendor had to comment, “Yuh see it, dem right yah so and dem nuh see how di man box the woman and rob har.”

By this time, I was fuming. I couldn’t comprehend this situation. I wondered if all their eyes were opened. But as a woman passed by to inform one of the officers of the incident, my hope dwindled. Not only did he not stop to listen to the lady’s report, this man, who took an oath to serve and protect, continued to write a ticket for the taxi man. As an afterthought, he finally asked what the lady said. But, by this time, the woman had already left.

Criminals are left to wreak havoc and instil fear in the public while the police are preoccupied with traffic management. So is it that every officer who operates downtown is now a traffic police? Is there no one to divide the work so that one squad focuses on traffic while the other patrols the area? “Nuh common sense dat!”

It seems to me that the police’s Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch places priority on ticketing motorists, especially taxi men, rather than ensuring people are safe while conducting business and going about their daily lives. I wish it were different, but as I was reminded by the juice vendor, “A Jamaica dis wi live, nutten nah change!”

How can we dream of Jamaica being the place of choice to live, work, and raise families when our police force is giving half-hearted service and our safety is not their top priority? How?

A fearful citizen