WHAT should have been a routine traffic stop has left a police officer battling for his life in hospital after being run over by a motorist on Thursday evening in St Andrew.

The incident is now being probed by the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) of Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as attempted murder.

Police reported that during a traffic stop around 6:10 pm the constable, who is a member of JCF’s Beat Officer Patrol Division in the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), was struck by the motorist he had signalled to stop for a violation of the Road Traffic Act.

It is alleged that the officer was grabbed by the motorist, who objected to being recorded by the policeman’s body camera. The motorist then drove off, hitting the officer and pinning him under the vehicle, which ran over his head.

According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP) in charge of crime and security, Fitz Bailey, the matter is not being treated as a traffic incident, but as a criminal investigation. “We believe it was a deliberate attempt on the police’s life,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

In the meantime, head of PSTEB, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Gary McKenzie is appealing to the public to obey the instructions of the police during traffic stops.

“Motorists, first and foremost, need to abide by the law — and especially the road traffic law. If an offence is detected and persons are stopped by the police, they need to obey the instructions; they need to cooperate,” ACP McKenzie told the Observer.

ACP McKenzie said this incident brings to the fore the many dangers the police face while dealing with unlawful motorists.

“Whilst, for the most part, many or most of our citizens are law-abiding, there are some persons who are not willing to be in conformity with the law and so these persons pose a threat to the public, and of course to law enforcement officers who have to ensure that safety prevails, and so it can be dangerous from time to time.

“The kind of incident where a motorist will hit an officer or attempt to hit an officer happens from time to time. And I would say that whilst it may not happen every day, it happens far too frequently,” he said.

ACP McKenzie noted that, while dealing with unruly motorists, the police are always at risk of being shot or otherwise harmed during interactions that may not be as cordial as they should be.

He pointed out that while the police are trained to deal with these issues, “you can never tell what may happen from time to time as, no matter how careful you are, sometimes things will happen”.

He added: “When they happen we just have to investigate and ensure that we do what we have to do; retraining, reorganising, putting in planning in place is always a part of what we do. We are always examining how we conduct our police duties, and where we need to make adjustments and be flexible or improve our methodologies, we will do so,” he said.

McKenzie said that, in maintaining law and order on the roads, the police may detect breaches and may stop motorists from time to time, either to speak to them about it, warn them about offences or, in some instances, prosecute and arrest persons.

“When someone is stopped, it is very important that they cooperate, and it’s very important that our duties are transparent and it is subject to accountability. For example, the use of body cameras is a very important tool that is used by the police and…it improves transparency and accountability for the police actions. But more so, our citizens need to be confident that what we are doing is in keeping with the law and that our interactions with them are proper,” he said.

He noted as well that motorists also need to take note of their interactions with law enforcement personnel, and where their rights are breached, report it “because one of the things that we want to do is to ensure that the service that we provide, it is above board, it is in keeping with the law, and it is being done professionally”.

Meanwhile, in a press release on Friday afternoon, the high command of the JCF said it strongly condemns the attack on one of its officers.

“We denounce this senseless act of violence against our officers and reaffirm our commitment to upholding the law, safeguarding our citizens, and maintaining order. Any form of violence towards our officers will be met with the strictest application of the law. We urge the public to cooperate with law enforcement and refrain from actions that jeopardise lives. The JCF remains dedicated to ensuring safety and justice for all Jamaicans,” the release said.

The police high command said the motorist’s deliberate actions resulted in serious injuries to the constable, who remains hospitalised in stable condition.

Investigations are well advanced, the police said, also confirming that they are in possession of the vehicle involved in the incident.

Members of the public who may have witnessed the incident are being asked to call Crime Stop at 311 or the Police Emergency Centre at 119.