New Nation Coalition blasts JFJ on calls for resignation for Police Commissioner !

   Reprinted from NCC

 PRESS RELEASE

                                                                      November 24, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

NEW NATION IS CAUTIONING JAMAICANS FOR JUSTICE (JFJ) THAT JAMAICA’S CRIME CRISIS CALLS FOR COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION.

• CRITICISMS PROFOUNDLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE
• EMPHASIS SHOULD BE ON BRIDGING GAPS NOT WIDENING THEM
• CIVIL SOCIETY, CITIZENS AND COPS MUST WORK TOGETHER

 

New Nation Coalition is expressing deep concerns about a call from human rights group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) for the resignation of Police Commissioner, Owen Ellington.

“In our view the call is negative, divisive, and counterproductive, and does not provide room for cooperation, collaboration and reconciliation”, says Children’s Advocate and New Nation Founder, Betty Ann Blaine.

“The problem of crime cannot solely be about the police commissioner.  We have had many police commissioners and crime has continued to escalate”, Blaine adds.  “What is required instead if for all the critical stakeholders to agree to work together in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration in order to seek solutions to crime in general, and police excesses in particular.”

“New Nation believes that strengthening and empowering Neighbourhood Watches; Citizens’ Associations and Community Policing, are all workable solutions and can make all the difference in improving police/citizens relations.  Groups like JFJ can use their significant influence and resources to help bridge the gap between citizens and police”, Blaine contends.

“No Jamaican can be happy with the number of police killings taking place right now”,  Blaine continues, and our hearts go out to the families of those victims.  “As Founder of Hear The Children’s Cry and Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), I have had to bury young persons killed by the police, so it is an issue of grave concern to me personally, in addition to members of the New Nation family.  It is precisely because of the high number of police killings that we need to find effective ways to work together to alleviate the problem”.

“If our police officers begin to respect citizens and vice versa, we will begin to see positive change.  New Nation believes we can change the hostile landscape simply by the way we speak to and with our police officers.  Respect begets respect, and that is the type of campaign that is worth pursuing by all of us, in the interest of all of us.”