WATCH: Cpl. Oliver Mullings Jnr could have been alive today, says federation chairman

In a tribute lasting 10 minutes, the JPF chairman lambasted governments, past and present, for not doing enough to equip rank-and-file members who represent the first line of defence in the fight against crime.

Most tellingly in his tribute in front of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang and Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of administration Richard Stewart, Corporal James asserted that Mullings Jnr could have been alive today if the government and the Police High Command had made better investment decision to the benefit of those on the frontline.

“Our colleague Oliver Mullings could have been alive today if the Government of Jamaica had taken appropriate action to resource us,” the federation chairman said.

While Corporal James did not specify the resource absent when Corporal Mullings Jnr was killed in the line of duty, investigation done by Old Harbour News revealed that the late officer, who served the constabulary for 19 years, went on operation without a helmet because none was available.

Officer Mullings Jnr, a native and resident of Old Harbour, was shot in the head when a police team on operation was fire upon by gunmen in the West Kingston community of Trench Town on October 20. He was rushed to the nearby Kingston Public Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment.

It was a point Corporal James alluded to in his tribute that brought loud cheers from its members but left Dr Chang and Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson stone-faced.

He added: “They know that the environs have changed. They know that the criminal elements have ramped up their artilleries, but they continue to produce police officers and send us out not even with the basic amenities: uniform, ballistic vest, ballistic shields.”

Click link to listen to full tribute by Corporal James.