By Clinton McGregor
In the wake of the controversial shooting death of Latoya Bulgin by the police in Granville, St James, last week, Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has urged all police personnel members to act with restraint while interacting with members of the public.
Ms Buglin was fatally shot by a policeman while sitting in her vehicle, reportedly during a dispute last week Sunday.
The policeman has since been removed from frontline duties by the High Command after viewing CCTV footage of the incident.
Commissioner Blake, writing in his weekly column in the Police Force Orders, did not directly address the incident, which has sparked much public outrage and daily protests by residents in Granville, but he urged the men and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force to exercise professionalism and to utilise their training when confronted by certain situations. He reminded them that emotional maturity and professional resilience are indispensable qualities in policing.
Dr Blake added that good decision-making is not the absence of criticism, rather, it is the disciplined pursuit of what is lawful, ethical, and necessary despite criticism.
He acknowledged that members of the Force are confronted by a hostile environment on a daily basis, but stressed that police officers must exercise restraint where restraint is required, and courage where courage is demanded.
He added that sound decision-making is developed through discipline, integrity, humility, and continuous learning and called for his officers to utilise their training, study their craft and exercise sound judgment and to lean on the experience of their seniors while out in the field.
The Independent Commission of Investigation [INDECOM] is probing the case.
INDECOM Commissioner Hugh Faulkner told Radio Jamaica News that the case is receiving the highest level of attention by the investigative body.