Senators condemn attack on police, call for civil society to do the same

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government and Opposition senators used the start of Friday’s sitting of the Senate to condemn the killing of Police Corporal Trevoy Shaw and the injury of two of his colleagues, during an early morning shootout between the police and gunmen in Five Miles, Sligoville in St Catherine.

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UPDATE: Two men killed after gun battle with police in Sligoville

“Jamaica has lost one of her brave and courageous sons, one who signed up to serve, protect and reassure,” said Government Senator Marlon Morgan, as he paid tribute. “This morning’s development underscores the hazards of the job, it underscores the challenges that our policemen and women confront and have to grapple with in the line of duty, as they seek to make Jamaica a safe place,” he added. Morgan said the Senate had to register its debt of gratitude to the members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) “and our immense grief at the loss of the officer...” Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Donna Scott-Mottley in addressing the matter said, “We understand, respect and appreciate the police in the lawful execution of their duty which is to serve and protect. When we see a member who has lost his life...in that way, the country must respond,” she said. For his part, Government Senator Christian Tavares-Finson urged civil society groups to condemn the killing of the policeman. “I express my sympathies to those other members of the police force who were involved in this tragic incident,” he said. Tavares-Finson added that, “When these officers go on duty, they risk their lives each and every time because of the prevalence of guns in Jamaica”. Continuing, he said, “I want to take this opportunity to ask the civil society groups [who] quite often speak out against the government and its policies, to condemn this type of behavior, to condemn the shooting of our police officers”. Opposition Senator Lambert Brown also condemned the early morning attack on the police which also left two gunmen dead, one of whom is said to be the son of a policeman who recently retired from the force. Two civilians were also injured during the standoff. Said Brown,“My heart, and that of the Leader of Opposition Business, and of all right-thinking people in the country, goes out to the men and women of the security forces”. Brown noted that the task of the police is a difficult one, “but they pledge to serve and protect the nation and we thank them”. “We mourn their passing, we hope that their families will find solace in their service, and that we [lawmakers] will make the life of their families better off by the response we give in the myriad of ways in which we can make the lives of police officers or security force members better off,” said Brown. Government Senator Charles Sinclair, who also spoke on the matter, used the occasion to reiterate his strong support for the Firearms Act with its mandatory sentencing provisions for certain firearm-related offences. He said the law shows how serious the government is against illegal firearms in the country. “Some persons oppose it; I stand as an attorney just to say I am firmly behind the harsh penalties for illegal firearms,” said Sinclair. The defence attorney said once a person gets a fair trial, the penalty that they experience is one that they will have to bear. “But this Administration is firm in its conviction that we have to rid our society of illegal firearms”. A former mayor of Montego Bay, Sinclair told the Senate that firearms serve no useful purpose other than to maim and to kill. -Lynford Simpson