Recently, Les Green, assistant commissioner of police, in a CVM-TV interview, stated that he had 'no sympathy' for police who die as a result of their involvement in criminal activities. Apart from Dartland Pryce's letter, 'Assistant Commissioner's comments regrettable' (October 29), most persons including the Police Federation and Jamaicans for Justice have missed the gravity of Green's lack of sympathy.

Les Green, as a Scotsman should know that the Scottish justice system does allow for sympathy to be expressed even to a person who has murdered 270 persons. Hence, when the Scots learned that the mastermind behind the Lockerbie bombing of 1988, Libyan Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, had terminal cancer he was released from prison in September 2009 to spend his last days with family! He was convicted of murdering 270 persons as a result of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. Sympathy was extended to a multiple-murderer.

Les Green's statement of no sympathy appears to be a callous disregard for the sanctity of life. Even police officers who are involved in criminal activities do not deserve to be killed by other criminals. This statement is reminiscent of a People's National Party national security minister who said "no angels died at Green Bay". Even if they were not angels they did not deserve to die as dogs. It is dangerous when policy-makers and operations implementers have that attitude towards life. All humans are made in the image of God and have worth and no one, no matter how vile, deserves to be killed extra-judicially.

Lacking sympathy

So even if Green can prove that some policemen, now dead, were involved in criminal activities, it does not absolve him from lacking sympathy for a fallen police or human being. It is a wrong mindset and will not help us in crime-fighting. It is a similar mindset that was displayed by the current minister of national security who saw the deaths of innocent people in the fight against crime as "collateral damage". Fortunately, he apologised.

Some years ago, Fr Walter Dorsey invited me to be the speaker on forgiveness at the Church of the Reconciliation, Portmore. He invited family members of the 'Braeton Seven', that is, relatives of the seven young men who were killed in a police operation in 2001. And even if the boys were truants, the relatives' grief, years after, was still poignant and we all need to feel their pain. It does not matter the circumstances under which someone dies, it is always a tragedy and always deserving of our sympathy when a fellow human being dies.

Unfortunately, both at the policy level of government and the police operational level there is too much tolerance for extra-judicial killings and vigilante justice. In fact, many Jamaicans support that stance. This is a wrong strategy that has not worked and will not work.

A coping mechanism

Furthermore, this unsympathetic attitude provides a coping mechanism to deal with our high murder rate. So when we hear of another murder then we hide behind the comment, "dem must be involved in drugs." And when the next policeman is killed we are going to wonder if that one was also involved in criminal activities when our first reaction should be one of sympathy, whether the police was killed in the line of duty or was engaged in criminal activities.

Les Green, the best expatriate policeman, sounds like a man frustrated with the level of corruption in our police force. He therefore needs our sympathy. However, he needs to express regret for his statement and, more important, to have sympathy whenever a police officer dies, even if he or she was involved in criminal activities.

Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church and author of Rebellion to Riot: The Church in National Building. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.