During the March 26 broadcast of Prime Time News on TVJ, a report was shown on the shoot-out at singer Luciano's house. Footage was shown of a young man being boxed in the face and hit on the head with a baton by military and police personnel.

From the footage shown, while the young man was loud in his dialogue with a policewoman, he did not attack her or anyone else. He also did not seem to have a weapon in hand.

I was under the impression that the security forces are only authorised to use force in defence of themselves or members of the public.

It seems that I am wrong and that all members of the public must, on encountering the security forces, assume them to be abusive parents and we should promptly play the role of defenceless children when their palms come into contact with our jawbone.

This is disgraceful and a decent society should find this unacceptable.

Of course, the moral outrage that this should elicit may well have been used up in the anti-daggering saga.

But while daggerin' and Rampin' Shop can be addressed by pressing the channel or power button, those on the receiving end of abuse by agents of the State have no equivalent switch to flick.

The slap that young man felt I'm sure hurt him, but it should also hurt all of us and fill us with shame that this is what 'To serve and protect' means in the Jamaica of 2009.

Col Trevor MacMillan either you get a hold of this problem or get a hold of another job.

I am, etc.,

OLIVER HUNTER

oliverhuntersurveys@yahoo.com

Ocho Rios

St Ann