Following the fatal shooting of Woman Constable Georgette Collymore on Wednesday, and the attack on two policemen on Red Hills Road on Thursday, Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson has called on law-enforcement officers and crime-fighters to redouble their efforts to take back the streets from murderous hoodlums.

Barefaced assault

"If cold-blooded criminals can launch such a brazen and barefaced assault on armed members of the security forces, what will they do to citizens who are unarmed?" Senator Nelson asked.

According to Nelson, the chilling message being sent to Jamaicans at large is that those sworn to protect them are not safe from armed thugs, and neither are they.

In condemning the brazen assault, Nelson asserted that criminals who are hell bent on creating mayhem and fear in the society must be stopped in their tracks.

He urged members of the security forces not to retreat in the face of what he described as "unrelenting attacks on agents of the state".

The security minister has received support from the human-rights group Jamaicans For Justice, which also condemned the attack on the cops.

Condemn it

"Every right-thinking Jamaican must condemn the brazen disregard for law, order and stability, which these attacks represent.

"Every citizen has a responsibility to work with the police, and we call upon those who have information that may lead to the apprehension of the perpetrators, to share it with the police so that the wrongdoers can swiftly be brought to justice," the JFJ representative said.

According to the representative, when the police are attacked in the course of their duties this is an attack on the justice system and an attack on Jamaica itself.