Better planning will save police lives

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am writing in support of Mickel Jackson’s Sunday Gleaner column titled ‘Why command responsibility matters’ . Her case should unite those who mourn our fallen officers and those who demand accountability for how dangerous operations are run.

Corporal Trevoy Shaw and Constable Devoney Rose were killed in Sligoville on October 16, and their deaths deserve our grief. Any commentary that treats them as deserved must be rejected.

Equally, scrutiny of a police operation is not ambivalence towards criminality. It is a duty owed to the officers who go out each day and to the families who wait for them to return.

The facts Ms Jackson cites are sobering. INDECOM has warned that the absence of senior command and the use of junior officers on planned operations contribute to rising fatalities.

Deaths in planned operations rose from 155, in 2023, to 189 in 2024, and 2025 recorded 311 police fatal shootings, the highest in nearly 15 years. Some operations were led by officers below the rank of inspector, and some lacked documented plans or warrants.

Elite units such as the Special Operations Branch carry the most dangerous assignments and therefore require the most disciplined planning. Every planned operation should be led on the ground by an officer of inspector rank or above, with clear accountability for each decision.

Intelligence should be recent, specific, and verified, and the decision to proceed should be recorded. A written risk assessment must also address the possible presence of civilians, including children, as this tragedy shows.

There must be clear coordination between the units involved, with defined roles, communication protocols, and an agreed fallback if conditions change. Officers should also be trained in alternatives to immediate entry, such as containment and surveillance, and body-worn cameras should be mandatory on every planned operation.

None of this weakens the force. Better training and intelligence helped reduce officer deaths from 18 in 2010 to four in 2025, which proves that preparation saves lives.

The investigation into Sligoville must not stop at whether force was lawful. It must also examine the decisions made before officers approached the house, and its findings should be made public.

The high command should not wait for that process before acting on problems INDECOM identified as far back as 2014. Our officers deserve to be placed in the strongest possible position to return home, and good command is how we honour them.

ROBERT DALLEY