The Editor, Sir:

We often hear statements from the ruling People's National Party and Opposition members that children are Jamaica's future. We also hear that we should not be afraid of the police as they are here to 'serve and protect'.

The incident at Ardenne High School yesterday, when a policeman reportedly fired a shot inside the school, brings all these statements into question.

How can we allow our future to be jeopardised by the very individuals who were sworn to protect the citizens of this country? It would be astonishing and abhorrent even if this incident were a rare occurrence, but unprofessional behaviour by the police seems to be becoming the norm, albeit an extremely disturbing one.

Police practice ranges from pointing loaded firearms out the windows of patrol cars to routinely abusing innocent individuals, sometime resulting in lives being lost (and before you raise an alarm that they are sometimes the perpetrators of violent crimes, I should remind you that everyone is innocent until proven guilty).

Common sense would dictate that discharging a weapon in a crowded area is a stupid idea - and a populated school definitely fits the description of a crowded area.

Public safety first

At the risk of sounding naive, even if the police were chasing one of the most wanted men in Jamaica, it would be in the best interest of all involved for the man to escape than to risk killing children. I hope that somewhere at the Police Academy they teach that; the safety of the public should come first.

Of more general concern is that this incident can easily generate distrust of police officers within the wider school population, helping to reinforce a view that 'if they could shoot my friend by accident, they could definitely shoot me'.

This mentality could last a lifetime, something the police can ill afford in a country battling the problem of crime. Alienating the youth is counterproductive.

I understand that the job of the police is a difficult and stressful one, but this fact provides no excuse; if you can't do the job you chose and are paid (albeit poorly) to do then the thing to do is to quit. I know several people would prefer a police force that they can trust and respect wholeheartedly than a largely incompetent one, even if the latter was smaller.

We need to make proper training a priority. The members of the force need to be able to identify situations that warrant the use of deadly force and prevent incidents like this from occurring anymore. We've all had enough!

I am, etc.,

KOFI JAMES

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.