The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

On the front page of today’s (December 16th) issue of The Tribune was an article under the caption “Courts should consider holding Commissioner in contempt”.

The statement was allegedly made by one Ellsworth Johnson, president of the Bar Association. In his lengthy diatribe, he accused top police officers for the failure of cases being prosecuted in a timely fashion, the A/G’s office is responsible for prosecutions, not the police.

The Commissioner accused no one, he simply stated a fact. The reporter contacted the AG and she spelt out in no uncertain terms as to why the courts situation is what it is.

As a trained lawyer, Mr Johnson needs to recognise that our judicial system is failing and persons of his profession are contributing heavily to its failure rather than accusing the Commissioner and his dedicated and hard-working command for a national crime situation created by interfering politicians and a failing judiciary.

As a former senior police officer who, like the Commissioner and the majority of the senior ranks in the RBPF today, worked my way up through the ranks putting life and limb at risk daily for the protection of the citizens of this Commonwealth and witnessing the untimely demise of a number of my comrades who made the supreme sacrifice while executing their duties in the protection of life and property and the prevention of crime.

Mr Johnson, while reading that article, which I found not only disingenuous; but insulting and demeaning, my thoughts went back over the years to those brave comrades who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, their grieving spouses and children, some too young to understand that they will have to go through life not knowing their fathers and their only reward was a military funeral and a year’s salary paid to their grieving spouses and I said to myself do people like you, Mr Johnson, really care about the services rendered by the Commissioner and his command and the sacrifices made by them? No.

In the article, you were quite repetitious on the independence of the Judiciary which was really not necessary because that is a well known fact in the public domain. In fact, I know of an incident where a former PM was given a lecture on the subject by a Lady jurist and told in a polite, but firm manner, to exit her office.

It is not only discouraging but demoralising when officers put so much time and energy in the investigation and the solution of a felony and placing the felon before the courts only to find themselves a few months later investigating another felony committed by that same felon who should have been behind bars. The murder rate is climbing because of revenge executions. You also talk about anarchy, we now have vigilante justice in our midst - anarchy is not far off; but if and when it comes Mr Johnson, who is going to deal with it? The Commissioner and his dedicated command will have the responsibility of dealing with such a crisis.

It is as obvious as a hump on a camel’s back that our Bail Act needs an urgent review and some solid amendments to it ,the health and safety of this Nation depends on it. It is the duty of all segments of our social system, including the Judiciary to work together to find a solution to our crime crisis without delay and stop the blame game. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

ERRINGTON W I WATKINS

Nassau,

December 17, 2014.