PICTURE THIS scenario. Friday, 1.40 p.m. The police get information that a group of gunmen are travelling on a public passenger bus plying the Spanish Town-to-Half-Way Tree route.
The trusty lawmen speed to intercept the vehicle and signal it to stop. They give chase as the driver ignores the signal, reportedly because the relevant documents pertaining to the licensing and registration of the bus are not up to date.
The chase winds through lanes and side roads of the Half-Way Tree area, ending at the Three Miles roundabout. According to our own report in Saturday's front page account, at this stage the police, incredibly, fired on the bus.
Eventually all passengers are searched but neither guns nor contraband material are found on them. But there is a toll of six persons injured by gunshots, including two students. One victim may have lost three fingers, according to the police.
Initial reaction from the Commissioner of Police was to order the removal from frontline duty of the policemen involved. This is the knee-jerk response along with ballistics tests that have become all too familiar in the growing catalogue of questionable police shootings.
More to the point is the emergency meeting summoned this morning of all ranks in the Corporate Area and St. Catherine by the Minister of National Security and Justice and the Commissioner of Police.
The official notification states: "Matters to be discussed will include issues relating to police shootings and police public relationships".
Put more starkly the summons might well have said that it is time to call a halt to this trigger-happy madness that passes for law enforcement in this country.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
