KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government Senator Marlon Morgan has issued a robust defense of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), calling on officers to maintain professionalism and focus despite what he characterizes as a coordinated media campaign seeking to discredit their crime reduction accomplishments.
In a Sunday statement, Morgan asserted that certain media outlets are exploiting police-involved fatal shootings to overshadow what he described as historic crime reduction progress. He emphasized that Jamaica has witnessed murder rates plummet to a three-decade low in 2025, an achievement he believes is being systematically undermined by sensationalized reporting.
“A vulgar and misleading campaign has been orchestrated by segments of the press through news reports, commentary, editorials, and even cartoons,” Morgan stated. “This concerted effort aims to diminish the JCF’s remarkable success in achieving the lowest murder rate in 31 years.”
The senator criticized what he perceives as an unfair narrative that implicitly connects the decline in homicides to increased police lethal force incidents. He urged law enforcement personnel to remain “relentless and professional” in their duties without being discouraged by what he termed reckless media tactics.
Morgan challenged critics who question police methods when confronting armed criminals, asking: “When faced with marauding gunmen determined to avoid justice and the mandatory 15-year sentence for firearm possession, what alternatives do we expect officers to pursue? We cannot expect them to sing ‘kum-by-yah’ or exchange pleasantries with criminals wielding superior firepower.”
While acknowledging the importance of police accountability, Morgan emphasized that public discourse should shift from merely counting fatal shootings to examining whether each incident was legally justified. He pointed to existing oversight mechanisms including the Independent Investigation Commission (Indecom), ongoing body-worn camera implementation, and internal JCF investigative processes as adequate safeguards for proper review.
The senator concluded that both media and citizens should allow established accountability processes to determine the justification of police actions rather than engaging in premature judgments that could undermine law enforcement effectiveness and morale.