Dear Editor,

In recent times I have watched with dismay an increase in physical confrontations between the police and citizens. It is now the ‘new normal’ for everyone to challenge and physically assault the police during the lawful execution of their duties.

I am currently unable to count the number of incidents filmed and posted on social media of police officers being verbally abused, shown aggression, and outright fought, but, obviously, our parliamentarians and civil society are not seeing the videos.

I am assuming that since they do not see the social media posts with these incidents it would mean that they cannot speak about or do anything about the occurrences. However, it has become very frightening, and as a member of society I cannot stay quiet on the mistreatment of police officers.

The lawmakers need to understand that they make the laws, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) executes them. When the citizens challenge the police they are also challenging the lawmakers. If the lawmakers believe that the laws are archaic or irrelevant, why not change them?

We all know that nothing remains constant, but it seems the parliamentarians are waiting until the challenge reaches them head-on before they act. Let us do something different for a change; let us denounce the violence directed at the police or fix our laws.

It is not comforting that the police do not have the support of their employers as they are being bashed, beaten, disregarded, cursed, threatened, and treated poorly by members of our society. Research has shown that when children are abused they feel worthless and have low self-esteem. While police officers are not children, they are human, and abuse affects everyone.

Again, although we are firm believers in locking the gate when the horse has already gone through, let us acknowledge that we have to support our police before we have a turn for the worse.

Let us fix Jamaica, land we love.

Oberlene Smith-Whyte

oberlene@hotmail.com