Open letter to the Jamaican Police (Jamaica)

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Open letter to the Jamaican Police

Published Feb 1, 2003

6th Annual Little Bay Donkey Races

Dear sir/madam. First I would like to thank each and everyone concerned in giving me the appuinity in sharing my Jamaica experience,witch is not a very pleasant one. First I would like to I've being visiting Jamaica since 1980 and have being every couple of years and have never had a problem although you hear allsorts I never tend to take any notice. On the 22nd of September my brother in law and myself set of from Rocky Hill in St Elizabeth to visit my sick aunt in Bull Bay, I was there the previous Sunday. On this occasion things was going so well and wanted to get before the PMP rally started. on our journey we stopped to take a few picture in Kingston the name of the road i really don't know,its was near a building with the Air Jamaica on the side of it and not too far from the prison. It was while i was taking the picture i noticed a police land rover went by but thought nothing of it,as i was moving of i noticed that the vehicle turned round and was heading the way we were they eventually stopped us and ordered us out of the car and wanted to know where we had the guns hidden,after about twenty min going thought papers,passport,search there attitude was a disgrace for law enforcement officers. After sending us on our way we was still being followed by them unfortunately i turned down a one way street it was a disaster waiting to happen before i knew what happened they were on to us like a couple of vultures,there wisent a lot of traffic about anyway they saw that we was going the right way again but at a cost. what took place the next fifteen min or so was terrible i was threatened with spending the night in jail,and did i have anyone who could bail me,i replied i knew a police friend of mine in Portmore i was told that no police can get involved so i was well and truly stuck. Eventually they told us its going to cost us 7000 dollars anyway we could only come up with 6000. Now what i would like to know is this common practice or is this the sort of thing that happens to visitors on our beautiful island. My point is if we can't trust the ones who are there to protect us who can we trust,Police or Thief. H.Parker.

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