Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin is on the right track with his insistence in Montego Bay, St James, on Thursday that policemen have options to control situations other than deadly force or the threat of such force.

As was reported yesterday, speaking at the Police (Civilian Oversight) Authority Forum, Lewin said, "Out on the streets, the only thing you (the police) have, or the first reaction you have, is to pull your gun because you don't have available a range of options prior to resorting to deadly force. We are, therefore, looking at acquiring some less-than-lethal options in the shortest possible time."

This proposed expansion in capabilities of the most visible sector of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the policeman or policewoman who is on patrol, cannot come too soon. Not with contradictory statements on police killings by the Constabulary Communication Network and members of the public, a near standard feature of news reports.

As crudely constructed as the cardboard signs may be, and as cacophonic or seemingly orchestrated the cries of "we want justice" are, they send a consistent message that the high rate of police killings is unacceptable. In April 2007, this newspaper reported the findings of a study by Harvard University researchers Todd Frogglesong and Christopher Stone which attributed to Jamaica one of the highest rates of police killings in the world (which some may say, of course, is only natural, given the staggering homicide rate). However, the 207 persons killed in Jamaica by the police in 2006, and an astounding average of 22 per month up to September last year, is making absolutely no impact on that murder rate.

Of concern also is the relative youth of many of the police officers who are that first line of contact with the public who, in the absence of options other than the guns they may have only recently been issued to conduct their duties, may be more prone to resort to utilising it.

There will, of course, be those persons - and Admiral Lewin pointed this out - who are heavily armed and delight in challenging the State's armed representatives. For those situations, he proposes a Mobile Reserve unit to be stationed in each county. We dare say that more than one may be required for areas with multiple hot spots, but we are sure the police will assess the threats and respond accordingly.

As for the citizen who finds himself or herself in a confrontational situation with the police, we believe that if there are clear stages of action which precede the use or threat of deadly force an instinctive understanding of cause and effect will result, and many will comply with the police before the final, fatal stage.

It is imperative that in order for justice to be done and seen to be done, in as many cases as possible an accused person actually live to face the courts. In addition, less reliance on firearms and more employment of approaches, such as unarmed combat and restraining devices by the police, would do wonders to tone down the malignant gun culture of this country.

The last resort cannot be the only option open to the police on patrol who are, naturally, just as concerned about their safety as civilians.

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