The police in Glengoffe, St. Catherine, confirmed that Hugh Wright, 38, was often in trouble with the law. He often beat, and had been known to seriously injure his wife, Natalie. The couple's children, too, were not unaccustomed to their father's wrath. They sometimes suffered its violence.

Last Thursday, Hugh Wright's body was discovered hanging from a tree at his farm in Lucky Hill, an apparent act of suicide. But not before he had accomplished his most vicious and serious act of violence.

The previous day, his anger triggered by an argument with one of his sons, Hugh used a machete to severely chop and decapitate Natalie. He also injured two sons who attempted to help their mother.

From our perspective, the mayhem shouldn't have happened; shouldn't have been allowed to happen. Hugh Wright should have been stopped long ago. Or, at the very least, assuming that his wife did not feel the need for protection - and the facts do not appear to justify such a view - it should have been enforced for their children. For the couple, it seems to us, was incapable of providing for the proper welfare of their children. Their neighbours knew. So did the State.

Indeed, in the aftermath of Wednesday's incident, many people recounted Hugh Wright's pattern of violence against his family. In fact, Natalie's father, Leon Reynolds, reported that he had beaten her for 16 years. According to Reynolds, the couple was shortly to return to court over Hugh Wright's wounding of Natalie and what was claimed to be his attempt to hang one of the children.

So, the neighbours knew and the Glengoffe police knew. And if the police knew, as they said they did, they had a responsibility to inform the relevant agencies of the state so that the children could be taken into protective care. Moreover, Hugh Wright should have been subjected to psychiatric evaluation long ago.

It will perhaps be argued that it was Natalie Wright's obligation, beyond the filing of criminal complaints, to seek support of the specialised agencies for women's welfare and children protection. Perhaps! The truth is that many women, especially in inner-city and rural communities, are ignorant of the law and the available support systems. The problem is worse among women of limited education and means.

It is, therefore, important that such at-risk women and children be afforded as much help and protection as possible. In this case, there should have been critical intervention on the part of the police who, clearly, have to be sensitised about their responsibilities beyond hard-core law enforcement. We feel, too, that there is a need for public education on the kinds of assistance available to people at risk of physical and emotional abuse. This should be buttressed by community response arrangements, including opportunity for counselling.