Dear Editor,

I was dismayed when I read the letter last Friday by Mr Purnell Haughton.

Mr Haughton condemned past Commissioner of Police Hardley Lewin and the now Acting Commissioner Owen Ellington for their robust thrust against corruption within the police force.

Mr Haughton’s position is akin to that of the Police Federation when they chastised ACP Les Green for saying that the deaths of many police officers can be ascribed to corrupt activities. We have not heard “bim” or “baff” from the Federation since ganja and bail bonds were found in the vehicle of a slain policeman.

One of the reasons that crime proliferates in our society is because of the corruption that exists in the police force. There is no denying that and it simply cannot be swept under the carpet, whether that carpet is at the Federation’s door or Mr Haughton’s.

Gun salutes by police officers at the funerals of gangsters, police officers charged for rape and incest, police providing security for criminals, police escorting drug traffickers, not to mention the daily shakedowns on our streets in the name of traffic control. These are the realities, Mr Haughton!

Based on the language of the letter, it seems that Mr Haughton is a policeman or very close to police personnel. If he is, then God help us all!

A clean police force, which is trusted by the people who pay their salaries, will go a long way in halting the cycle of crime in Jamaica.

David Mallory

Mandeville, Manchester

davidmallory@live.com