Jamaica Should Prepare for Increase in Fatal Police Shootings – Dr. Horace Chang

According to Dr. Horace Chang, Minister of National Security, the public should prepare for an increase in deadly police shootings. The minister cautioned that as police capabilities and intelligence gathering grow, their encounters with criminals will increase.

Dr. Chang made his assertions while speaking in the House of Representatives earlier this week and remained unapologetic as he dismissed any notion that officers were simply seeking to kill and not protect. The minister maintained that in an engagement with violent criminals, he expects the police to win as they are trained to respond.

“I find it objectionable that in those contexts, the image is still going that we have policemen who are out there seeking just to kill. They are out there to protect, and they’re faced with gunmen, they have to respond, and they’re trained to respond. And I expect in an engagement the police should win. We lost two last week. I expect at all times the policemen who are trained […] must win,” Dr. Chang stated.
The minister outlined that as the government continues to provide the police with the necessary tools, more fatal shootings would be “inevitable.”

“Police intelligence is getting better. We are moving aggressively to complete a suite of communication equipment for them […] they also pick up intelligence that will allow them to intercept more of the criminal gangs,” Minister Chang said, adding, “When that happens, we’re going to have engaging, police engaging them.”

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