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Police restraint and 'lesser lives'

THE EDITOR, Sir:

SEVEN YOUNG men have been killed. We can rest easier as per the Commissioner of Police. I cannot rest easier knowing that in excess of 40 policemen surrounded a house with seven men and all seven had to die. I do not feel safer, for the actions of the police seem no different from the action of these young men, those among them guilty of crime that is.

Just as the gunmen had one motive when they walked into the Above Rocks Police station and when they chased Mr. Keith Anthony Morris, so too, the police apparently had one motive when they surrounded that house and demanded surrender.

When instilling discipline the end result is not just to discipline, but rather, to ensure that the lesson is learned and positive change takes place.

What lesson did the police have to teach? Four guns, 30 rounds of ammunition and 8 spent shells recovered, in the wake of a fierce gun battle, a shoot-out. I have recently learnt an invaluable lesson for life. It is a weak person who must destroy/kill his enemy. A strong person wins his enemy and sometimes gets a friend for life.

I always run the risk of killing my enemies when I regard my life to be more important than the life of my enemy. No person's life is more important than that of the next person. None. That's why Michael Gayle, Agana Barrett, the school principal, the young constable in the JUTC bus etc., etc., etc., died. That is why those seven men died. All were labelled as lesser lives.

Those persons in our society who take comfort in the phrase that all thieves/gunmen/criminal must die fail to realise that one day they may be labelled lesser lives.

Tactical awareness demanded the police to do the following in the appropriate order:

1. Use teargas to expel the gunmen from the house.

2. Use bullhorns to reiterate the plea for surrender and the hopelessness of the situation.

3. Train weapons on all possible exit routes.

4. Assume a superior tactical position and retreat behind proper cover.

5. Shine lights on all possible offensive areas to reduce if not altogether eliminate the gunmen's ability to fire effectively at the police.

6. Sirens, door to door policing to awaken neighbours at risk and warn them to get on their floors.

The possibilities were endless. We have just succeeded in hardening criminals in our society who now realise that there is no middle ground for surrender. You will either kill me or I will kill you.

This hard-nosed approach to crime produces losers on all sides.

I am etc.,

MARLON D. COOPER

E-mail:

dinocooper@yahoo.com

Meadowbridge P.O.

St. Andrew

Via Go-Jamaica

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