KELLY

While buying some fruits from a vendor on East Street in Kingston a few days ago, I saw the closest thing I've seen to a high-speed car chase.

Three motorcycle cops were chasing a driver who was pushing his vehicle for all the horsepower it had under the hood. Now, allegedly, this was an illegal taxi man who was caught in the act but was not in the mood for a ticket, or worse, having his car impounded.

The entire chase was being cheered on by the vendor serving me and he, like a few others who were also present, were firmly behind the alleged taxi man. Every time he avoided 'Babylon' there were whoops of support. Now, after taking a few turns, before peeling back on to East Street, one of the motorcycle policemen decided to try and cut him off the next time he tried to make it back out. He dismounted and started reaching for his pistol.

That's when the fun ended for me. I think the visions of another questionable police killing began to flash in my mind. Fortunately, the hunted took his chase up Duke Street and somewhere else, as the cop jumped back on to his bike and roared off up the wrong way of East Street's one-way.

Chastisement

Charmaine Franklin (right), of Bacchanal Jamaica with Annette Carrington-Jackson (centre) and Carlene Edwards both of the Acropolis share the spotlight at last Thursday's media launch of Bacchanal Jamaica Carnival 2008, at Knutsford Court Hotel, Ruthven Road, St. Andrew. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

First off, all involved can be chastised in one way. From the man deciding to run from police (which is just not the world's smartest move), to the police allegedly chasing a man just trying to 'eat a food', albeit illegally. The people condoning the man who was high-tailing it, only gave his actions credibility (whether he needed any outside help and the cop going for his firearm is scary. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he was going to shoot the tyres only, but I'm not sure).

The point is that this is just a microcosm of where Jamaica is now with attitudes to law and order. The police are chastised for not doing their job and when they do, the same people curse that they should be focusing on the 'bigger' crimes. Talk about rock and a hard place. Only one dissenting voice chastised the man for running. Another pedestrian pointed out to him that maybe the man couldn't afford to have his car confiscated. Fine, but what if he was transporting arms to be used on those same citizens later on? The cops wouldn't look so bad then.

I don't know what later transpired but I just hope no one was injured. But the outright defiance of law by (relatively speaking), law-abiding citizens, cannot help an already beleaguered force. Guess the cops just can't win.

Arrest me at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com