Thanks To Lacovia Police

Contributed

November 13, 2025, marked another dreadful moment in visiting communities and providing information to the public, and in this instance, highlighting individuals who are making spirited efforts to ease the pains brought on by Hurricane Melissa, with little thought on how treacherous an engagement working as a journalist is and the fact that one can never predict where peril awaits you.

Leaving home at 7:30 in the morning to visit hurricane-ravaged communities in St. Elizabeth, covering an initiative led by Custos of Clarendon, Hon. Edith Chin, and got trapped in a desolate section of the parish after my motor vehicle developed an electrical issue and came to a halt, and I was not able to make calls. It was a moment of fright and fear, but the good police at the Lacovia Police Station came to my rescue.

I had to 'bum a ride' to complete the assignment, which is not always a pleasant thing to do, and returning in the night to where my vehicle was 'abandoned' at the side of the road where no light existed and where no human was in sight, another fear of despondency followed.

Thanks to Corporal Roberson, who made several calls until she got someone to locate a piece of rope; many regards to Corporal Simpson, who towed the vehicle, and Mr Junior, who, along with Corporal Simpson, had pushed the car, to have it parked at the station, and to all the officers who showed up in a moment of distress. Thanks too to some young men who saw the police vehicle towing my car and shouted, 'big up squaddie', a suh wi fi live,” a few of them even ran on to dark main road when we were about to cross it and stopped the oncoming traffic.

Much of my plans for the day were ruined, but the action of the police brought calm and gave protection to my car. Two weeks ago, I was in the parish with some state officials who were distributing relief packages to hurricane victims.  Going through the Holland Bamboo area, a police officer signalled me to stop, and I complied. Then I saw two officers opening the back doors of the vehicle, immediately I thought that I was under arrest, until one officer shouted, "Give me a lift, going up di road." I said, "come."

On Saturday, November 15,  a technician went to the station at the request of Corporal Roberson, and the fee charged by the gentleman was paid by the corporal, without my asking, and when I tried to make arrangements to reimburse her, she said, "No worries," and that I should concentrate on getting the vehicle back to driving state. They were assigned to direct traffic in the area, and suddenly, the rain came, with them having nowhere to shelter, and their vehicle was about a mile away.

"Gratitude can transform common days by changing your perspective, turning routine activities into joyful experiences and ordinary opportunities into blessings." William Arthur Ward.

As one who hits the police hard, when they are on the wrong side of justice, I am duty-bound to say, the officers at the Lacovia Police Station, lending a helping hand, is part of their routine, and although their good deeds may not make headlines, their action on November 13, 2025, deserves attention.

These officers, I strongly believe, represent very well the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), which states that “as a sworn officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community by safeguarding lives and property against threats that could take advantage of or harm members of my community or otherwise impact peace and order. I will uphold the Constitution and honor the rights of all to life, liberty, equality, and justice. I will never employ unnecessary force. I will respect the privacy of people and communities that I serve, and I will fully obey the laws that I am sworn to enforce.”

Contributed by

Garfield L. Angus

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