It is not often that the death of one person dominates the entire front page of this newspaper, as happened yesterday.

What is even more unusual is that the dead person was not a beloved public figure but a teenager who, until his name hit the headlines, would have been just another young man in a Jamaican inner-city community.

However, the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Andre Thomas in Grants Pen, St. Andrew, last week Friday warrant this extensive and intensive scrutiny.

There have been, of course, numerous cases of fatal police shootings, over 200 of them since January 2007, many of which have been vigorously protested against by residents of the areas in which they took place and raising various levels of public interest. What makes the Andre Thomas case so striking is the allegation that the police vehicle in which he was transported to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) was reportedly taken to a private garage afterwards and not turned over to the investigators until five days after their request.

Ironically, the other story about a police killing on yesterday's front page was also about an 18-year-old from an inner-city community who was allegedly taken away injured in a police vehicle and declared dead at the hospital. He is Ravin Thompson, who was shot in Whitfield Town on July 27.

With Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Kent Pantry ordering that the four policemen involved in the Grants Pen incident be arrested, it could be the beginning of yet another judicial process around a police killing, it could be an addition to the 1,300 cases the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) is already probing.

However, we get the sense that it could be the sign of a new approach to addressing killings by the security forces in Jamaica. Among the noted cases are, of course, the unforgettable 'Braeton Seven' and Michael Gayle, who was beaten on August 21, 1999, in Olympic Gardens and died two days later. But this level of initial scrutiny, coupled with Minister of National Security Derrick Smith's statement that people's rights must be protected at all times, is an indication of a much more intense and open approach.

It is a welcome change, as we know that it is only through a transparent, swift justice process and co-operation between the security forces and citizens that criminality by persons in and out of uniform can be, if not eradicated then certainly, minimised.

The relative ease with which rogue policemen have been allowed to get away with wrong actions in the past, whether through corruption or incompetence, must be halted. It is time for a new paradigm and a different approach.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.