Cops were disgraceful in arrested video

THE EDITOR, Sir: THE COPS in the video that arrested the woman in Gordon Town, St Andrew, on July 23 were disgraceful, and their conduct must be condemned.

It is incongruous that a cop could find it acceptable to kneel in the woman’s stomach, while another cop pulled her hair, to get her to submit. That was not reasonable force.

There were other ways in which the cops could have executed their duty; one of which could be to summon her to court, since there was no obvious intent to de-escalate the situation.

The woman alleged on Live at Seven (CVM Television, July 25) that the cop who called her uttered disparaging remarks to her.

How is it that the woman responded to the alleged provocative and unwanted remarks of the

cop, and then they turned around and arrested her for using indecent language? Were the cop’s remarks justified?

If one person insults another, then it is likely to be met with a verbal, and oftentimes, physical defence. That is, unfortunately, the way of Jamaica today. In that context, a cop cannot approach a citizen disrespectfully and expect the citizen to accept it.

While disorderly conduct must never be excused, and law and order must be maintained, citizens deserve the same level of respect and courtesy that the cops expect.

It is a fundamental duty of our law-enforcement officials to respect and protect human dignity, while maintaining and upholding the human rights of all citizens.

If the cops continue to derogate from this fundamental duty, then they will never command the respect of the citizenry, because no self-respecting person will tolerate their disgraceful approach. DUJON RUSSELL dujon.russell@yahoo.com