‘Every life has value’

While celebrating sharp reductions in murders, shootings, and robberies in St Andrew North Central, Member of Parliament (MP) Delano Seiveright has urged Jamaicans to balance support for the police with accountability and respect for human life. Seiveright, who represents the constituency, told the House of Representatives on Tuesday, during his contribution to the Constituency Debate, that murders and shootings across the St Andrew North Police Division had fallen by 70 per cent as at October 11, while robberies declined by 60 per cent and break-ins by 50 per cent. He credited the reductions to the Government’s leadership and the work of the security forces, but argued that improvements in public safety must not weaken the need for independent oversight when people die in circumstances involving State institutions. “I want to fully support our police officers in the lawful execution of their duties. They face extraordinary dangers and deserve our respect. But support must go hand-inhand with accountability and respect for human life. I recognise Indecom’s [Independent Commission of Investigations] important role in independent oversight, and I now have a much better sense of the challenges Indecom is having,” Seiveright said. His comments come amid continuing public debate over fatal shootings involving members of the security forces and the need to ensure such incidents are properly investigated. Seiveright did not identify a particular fatal shooting in his contribution. Instead, he made a broader appeal for fairness and accountability, arguing that every Jamaican should be concerned when someone dies in circumstances involving institutions entrusted with protecting life. He drew on lessons from his childhood and his upbringing in the Church to explain why he believes respect for human life must remain central to the country’s approach to security. Every Sunday, without fail, I attended Open Bible Church on Washington Boulevard, including Sunday school… There, I learned respect for human life and compassion. Those values that stayed with me have never changed. The great English poet, John Donne, once wrote, ‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.’ When a citizen dies in circumstances involving institutions entrusted in protecting life, it must concern every Jamaican. Every life has value. Every family deserves answers,” he added. The MP’s position was that support for the security forces and demands for accountability should not be treated as opposing interests. While the police must be able to carry out their duties lawfully, he said, citizens must also be protected by the law and entitled to fair treatment. “Every citizen deserves the protection of the law. We must support our security forces while insisting on due process and accountability, and justice must never depend on your address, your circumstances, or your standing in society. Because the bell may toll for someone else’s family [today], tomorrow it could toll for ours,” Seiveright said.