Dear Editor,
The little value our society now places on life is being manifested in this thirst for blood by agents of the state who have sworn to serve and protect. While Jamaicans are aware that criminals are wreaking havoc on the society and are claiming many innocent lives, the recent spate in extra-judicial killings is worrying.
No doubt, the security forces are being guided by Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s pronouncements that criminals must be prepared to meet a judge or their maker. While police officers have to protect themselves from criminals, it is expected that their training would prepare them, so that sending people to meet their maker is a last resort and not the first intent. According to The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), at least 35 Jamaicans were killed by the police up to February 6, 2025. There have been other killings by lawmen since that data was released. Generally in these cases, the police officers involved are not equipped with a body worn camera.
So now, not only does our government support abortion which is the killing of innocent children, they are sanctioning the killing of adults. Some might genuinely be criminals, but the court system is there to ensure that they get their just reward.
Now that the election is near, it is possible that persons will be targeted because of their refusal to be party loyalists or carry out the orders of politicians. After all, we as Jamaicans cannot forget that some of these said criminals were equipped with guns by the politicians or their appointees which are often called dons. Now that these dons have amassed so much respect and wealth, they no longer need the hands that once fed them. This must sting!
It would be nice to have a day when there is no blood shed in Jamaica. I know that this has been the case in some countries much larger than ours. Persons only die from natural illnesses. But the ones who fanned the crime beast are now the very ones supporting extra-judicial killings.
It is not beyond God’s ability to completely transform a man in prison, but when their lives are snuffed out, that chance is gone. It’s the same thing when we consider a baby; they hold so much potential, but based on local statistics, about 22,000 lives are claimed before birth. Killing is just plain wrong. It doesn’t matter who does it.
I am,
A concerned citizen
