Janchi: Police will be
firm and respectful
PHILIPSBURG--Police spokesman Inspector Johan “Janchi” Leonard has stated, “While people misbehave and use weapons without regard for the sanctity of life and threaten the lives of law enforcement officers and the community,” the police have a responsibility to maintain law and order.
His statement was in reaction to allegations of police brutality and the claim by some within the community that some police officers of the Operation Quick Response team are using excessive force when dealing with the public.
Leonard said that in many cases police officers were faced with bandits in vehicles and on motorcycles who threw away guns and drugs while being pursued. He said the police had an obligation to protect themselves and take no chances in their pursuit of these criminals.
“What we are seeing on the streets, with especially youths who have no regard for police or adult citizens, is shameful, and we are not about to allow anyone to assume the role of lord over the land we are charged with securing,” Leonard told The Daily Herald Wednesday.
He said the complaints from police officers returning from their tours of duty were the same every time: young men in St. Maarten are blatantly disregarding the enforcement of law.
He said what was worse was that parents of these children, rather than questioning them, were up in arms accusing police of “unnecessary and unwarranted brutal treatment of their children.”
Leonard said, “We are constantly reminding our officers that they are there to serve and protect the community. We have a duty to uphold law which we must carry out and what we want to urge the community to do is respect the lawful requests of police in the execution of their duty to avoid conflicts that never end well for anyone.”
He continued: “We will remain mindful of how far is taking aggression too far. … Police do not go out with the intention of ill-treating anyone. We are there to maintain law and order and detain offenders. Yes, sometimes we will meet resistance and sometimes force has to be used, but this will be done within the confines of the laws by which we are also governed.”
Leonard said, “Police officers participating in Operation Quick Response are doing so by giving up countless quality hours with their children and families to ensure that this island is not overrun with crime.
“But when people, instead of advocating respect for police and the rule of law, stand and shout at the top of their voices their disregard and dislike for law enforcement officers and make threatening remarks against the lives of these officers, I ask you, the law abiding citizens of the community, ‘what then should our reaction as the final line of defence be?’
“Do we simply stand aside and wait until you the citizens are looking down the barrel of a loaded gun held by one of these bandits or do we act now and protect not just the tourism economy, which is being threatened by crime, but the community, and businesses that suffer as well?”
He said the public should bear in mind that “when lawlessness prevails, everyone suffers.”
He concluded, “Police Chief Commissioner Derrick Holiday has charged that we, as police officers, conduct ourselves with respect for the citizens of this island, but also made it clear that we should tolerate no form of insolence and use the force necessary to make our presence felt and to clean the streets of St. Maarten of crime.”
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