The loss of life is regrettable and we extend our sympathy to the grieving family who we hope will not become another type of victim, this time to media manipulation. Since the tragic shooting of that woman, talk show hosts, particularly those aligned to the opposition People’s National Congress Reform, have been taking the police to task using the pretext of the woman’s death to do what they are best at: create mischief.

One talk show host was seen thumping his hands into a table, bemoaning the recklessness of the police force. However, the same talk show host was not as agitated when bandits killed innocent persons at Nathoo’s Bar a few months ago or when two policemen were killed during the political siege of Rose Hall town. Neither was there outcry against the bandits when the two men from the Corentyne were killed while passing through Friendship the day after criminals shot at the police station.

These talk show hosts, joined unexpectedly by some editors from the print media, have descended upon the police in their continuing campaign to demonise the force in order to give tacit support to the lawlessness in the country.

It needs to be asked whether the police are the enemy. Certain forces have set out to make the police force the enemy in order to further political instability and strife in our country. This relentless campaign led by known talk show hosts have led to the deaths of more than fifteen policemen for this year alone and the wounding of many others. The police are portrayed as criminals in uniform in this campaign deliberately aimed at undermining public confidence in the work of the police.

These talk show hosts show little concern when police officers are gunned down. They care very little about the grieving families of the ranks killed. Police stations have come under heavy fire and ranks traumatised. Yet, the very persons who are crucifying the police are very silent when police lives are at risk. When criminal elements in Buxton hurl grenades at the police, the voices now very vocal suddenly fall silent or suggestively condone such criminality.

Strangely, when bandits kill civilians we hear from these very people that the police are not doing enough. When an innocent passerby was shot by bandits during the kidnapping of the owner of Keishar’s, the talk show hosts could care very little whether she was killed or not. They were more concerned with highlighting the continuing crime wave, not with helping the police to end it. But when a number of bandits turned up dead, their faces turned sour. One even said he could not sleep well.

A culture of opposition to the police force is being nurtured in the country. It aims at undermining the professionalism of the force and placing all its members at risk. It is a culture intended to maximise the political advantages of crime. The more crime we have the worse the Government looks and one way of encouraging crime is to make the police look bad. Very little concern is given to those who suffer because of these criminal attacks including women of all races who have been sexually assaulted.

The police did not set out to kill that woman last week. In fact, we are yet to know who exactly shot her. But these things mean very little to those dangerous elements out there who are hell-bent on ensuring that the police force is undermined.