The Editor, Sir:

I wish to address this open letter to the commissioner of police: Dear Commissioner Lewin,

I have no doubt that you will agree with me that this little country that we dearly love is "under siege" from the "criminal elements" in the society.

I am a professional and 65 years old and I am making arrangements to migrate. Why? Because I have a young wife and a little boy 10 years old and I see no future for them here - in this society he might never live to reach 21 years old.

I never thought the day would come when I would be so desperate to leave Jamaica - I endured and survived the tumultuous events of the 1970s and 1980s and hoped for better, but things have got far worse.

When I speak of the "criminal elements" I am not just referring to the thugs in the society, but also the politicians who are in bed with these thugs and "law enforcement" - sic.

No trust in the police

You are the only person in the police force in whom I would place my trust and that is only because you never came up in the ranks of the police. Murder and extortion are rife in the society and while the murderers might be elusive to apprehend, the extortion racket is carried out right under the noses of the police and nothing is done.

The entire island is overrun by extortionists and people live in fear for their lives. The police claim that they have no evidence, but it is well known that no one can go to the police - you do so if you want to meet "your maker", and so the people pay and stay alive.

Extortion strives in every nook and cranny of Jamaica and failure to pay is certain death for the extorted or his family. But in my view it is easy for the police to secure evidence. I am not a police officer, nor do I have training in police matters, but it seems to me that if the police require evidence then they can gather this "indisputable evidence" on their own and stamp out extortion.

Take for example the recent disclosure of the extortion racket along Red Hills Road and Price Rite as stated in the press. What if the police should set up cameras in strategic positions and send policemen there to "run taxi" and gather extortion evidence in a sting operation over a period of time - would you not have evidence to prosecute these thugs and send them to jail for 100 years. Would that not put a stop to extortion?

Getting witnesses and evidence

The police could be "hot wired" for sound purposes and they would not even have to pick up ordinary passengers they could ferry other police personnel back and forth for added witnesses and evidence. You could even give the drivers hundred dollar bills with your signature or initials to prove that the driver was extorted when the apprehension takes place. The electronic devices are cheap and commonplace.

Could you not form an extortion- eradication unit in the force that operates islandwide? But the truth is you cannot do it because you cannot trust the very police personnel that you assign to the operation. I am of the view that a number of murders have occurred because of the failure to pay extortionists.

So Commissioner, what are you going to do? What are WE going to do?

How are we going to save this country form anarchy and lawlessness? I certainly would not want to have your job.

I regret that I am not able to sign my name, but you will hear from me again from Florida if I managed to leave before some thug gun me down.

I am, etc.,

SCARED CONCERNED CITIZEN