We do not intend to parse or do a full content analysis of Supt. Steve McGreggor's speech to determine the message he meant to convey. We are intent, however, on giving Supt. McGreggor the benefit of the doubt and apply the most benign interpretation to his remarks. Yet, even at that his words are downright inappropriate, delivered at the wrong time, to the wrong audience in the wrong circumstance.
Of course, no one would blame a policeman for saying that he intends to catch criminals - and catch them quickly. Indeed, such specific promises as made by Supt. McGreggor would be welcome in the context of the increasing demand for performance benchmarking by the police. There is something specific against which to measure Mr. McGreggor.
Oh, and the fact that he was speaking about St. James where crime,particularly murders, has skyrocketed recently, would help to enhance the confidence of the residents of the parish.
But then, there is that blatant downside in that speech, delivered by the superintendent at a function of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund to launch a community services project in the community of Flankers. Not only would the criminals be caught, he warned, but "unfortunately, some might die in the process".
"There is also the possibility that some of my police officers might also die, but this is a job that we have sworn to do, and we will not stop until criminality is brought under control in the parish," Mr McGreggor said.
We all know that policing in Jamaica can be a dangerous business. Nearly a dozen cops have been killed in Jamaica already this year, most of them in the line of duty. Scores of alleged criminals, too, have been killed by the police, while police homicides in 2006 neared 200.
In fact, police killings are often a contentious matter in Jamaica, as Mr. McGreggor would well know. There were demonstrations in his division, not long after his speech, in the same community where he made it, by residents who disputed the police version of a shooting.
He would understand, therefore, that many people are likely to read into his remark a declaration that the police, particularly those under his command in St. James, would go after criminals, regardless. There would be no reading of the Beatitudes.
That can't be the image Supt. McGreggor wants to leave of his tenure in St. James, of a rough and ready frontier, made for the likes of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. Police homicides should be a painful, tragic, last and unavoidable consequence of the fight against crime, and both cops and the public should view them that way. It is bad when the police create an environment where it seems that they are the starting point of the process. No one wishes it to be so.
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