Like most Jamaicans, The Gleaner is deeply saddened by the deaths, in the line of duty, of policemen Corporal Trevoy Shaw and Constable Devoney Rose at Five Miles, St Catherine, on Friday.
The police say the officers were killed after being lured into the direct line of fire by gunmen who pretended to be releasing a child from a house from which criminals had engaged law-enforcement officers in a gunfight. The Constabulary Force also suggests that criminals outside the house engaged in diversionary shooting, apparently in support of those inside.
Apart from the two officers, three men identified as the alleged shooters inside the house were killed. A 10-year-old girl, apparently the same child whom the police say was used as “bait”, was shot and wounded. She remains in critical condition in hospital.
Whether or not the Five Miles incident represents, as Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness characterised it, one of those instances in which evil men with illegal guns pretending to be protectors prey on communities, the case must be thoroughly investigated. Anyone found responsible for the killing of Officers Shaw and Rose and/or the injury of the child should be held accountable and made to face the full force of the law.
Further, The Gleaner’s Editorial Board supports the prime minister’s urging of communities to reject the notion of gang members as Robin Hood-like heroes, and his call for the security forces to intensify operations to dismantle gangs and criminal networks.
“Let me be blunt,” the prime minister said in the aftermath of the Five Miles incident. “We must separate these evil men from our society. We must stop making excuses for men who carry illegal guns, terrorise communities, and prey on the vulnerable. They must be identified, disarmed, arrested, prosecuted and removed from our communities through the full force of the law.”
Dr Holness highlighted a general principle and a critical operating guideline for the police and other agents of the State in pursuing that directive. It must be done in accordance with, and with respect for, the law. Implicit in that exhortation is the understanding that following the law means not merely adhering to its narrow legal requirements, but also to its spirit.
It is understandable that members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will be hurt and angry at the killing of two of their colleagues, especially in the circumstances in which Corporal Shaw and Constable Rose were reportedly shot. However, those emotions, as difficult as it may be, cannot be allowed to override training and professional conduct. Indeed, law-enforcement officers are implicitly burdened with a higher level of accountability.
Put another way, in their engagement with criminals, even while ensuring their own safety and protecting the lives of citizens, law-enforcement officers must be guided by professional restraint.
This issue is relevant in the context of the ongoing debate in Jamaica over the high number of police killings, especially during planned police operations (PPOs), which usually account for around 40 per cent of fatal shootings. Officers have an opportunity for tactical preparation before undertaking PPOs.
According to data from the Independent Commission of Investigations, the agency that investigates shootings and complaints of abuse against the security forces, 237 people had been fatally shot by the police up to October 16, 2026. That is roughly the same as the 237 recorded during the first 10 months of 2025. Fatal police shootings for the entire year of 2025 reached 311, an increase of 64 per cent over the previous year.
Separate from the normal criminal investigation into the events at Five Miles, the JCF may also wish to undertake a comprehensive tactical review of the operation, possibly involving other agencies. Based on police reports and a viral social media recording purportedly made in the house where the alleged shooters were located, the matter involved elements of hostage negotiation, as well as an apparent offer by two men to surrender. It was apparently on the good-faith assumption that this offer was genuine that Officers Rose and Shaw fatally exposed themselves.
Negotiating with criminals and hostage-takers is a highly specialised skill, requiring an assessment of the emotional and psychological disposition of those involved. It is unclear whether the JCF has such professionals within its ranks, and how effectively that aspect of last Friday’s operation was managed.
