The Editor, Sir:

I am a strong believer in the law and oftentimes back the actions of the police, giving them the benefit of the doubt, considering all adversities.

I am also experienced enough to know how rushing to judgment can cause lasting embarrassment.

However, the actions of that police officer involved in the double shooting at Ardenne High School should result in some very swift and decisive action.

The action brings the efforts of the entire force into immediate disrepute. This archaic style of policing goes against the code of civility and community policing. I am not going to knock their training because it must include a commitment to practise restraint, preserve and protect lives first and foremost, unless the officer's life is in imminent danger.

As I have relied with great credence on your article , I must say, it would seem that this action was carried out with absolutely no regard for the rule of law. Any individual who could so easily lose his or her cool to the point where he or she endangers the lives of all in pursuit of avenging a deed, cannot be in law enforcement or better yet, on front-line duties. This type of extreme force will forever pin the force against battling controversies and wasting precious resources on preventable damage-control issues.

To preserve and protect

It is a given that it takes a really insane person (mad man) to use stones to harm an armed person (police). Nonetheless, only a mentally ill person would discharge a gun on a school campus with so many visible innocent by-standers in one's direct firing sight. That action alone grossly violates the oath to preserve and protect lives. Unfortunately, this violation caused the injury, and possibly took the life, of an innocent child. I would think it takes a very severely deranged individual to continue on his or her rampage and further discharge his or her weapon again in an even more compromising and traumatisingsituation, such as a small, fully occupied staffroom, injuring a second person.

This is clearly a case of not what the officer did, but how the officer executed his or her duties.

This is a bad one for the officer and a textbook case for training.

The sad fact is that there are several of these ticking time bombs in the force. The way how the top brass deals with them when they show traits of insanity is paramount to the entire police force's fight against crime. This is also very significant to me. As a private citizen, I need to see our leaders leading once again.

After reading that article, one can now only ask, what if there were not a thousand eyewitnesses to this one? Imagine! Now, we the people of Jamaica will have to foot the cost of another misguided State employee; and yes, this one is going to cost us dearly.

I am, etc.,

DALE MORRIS

Long Island, N.Y.

Everel2007@yahoo.com