Just a few weeks after we wrote about a murdered policeman, here we are again.

It feels like a bad case of déjà vu, but sadly for us, this is not imaginary, it is the 2007 Jamaican reality. Another policeman has been killed and the cycle starts all over again. Family and friends are grieving, the police force is condemning the killing and promising justice, and the nation is in shock.

The police force is overwhelmed, and under-standably so. They are faced with a daunting task - bring the criminals to justice while reassuring the citizens that things are under control. And maybe hardest of all, they must attempt to conduct a fair and unprejudiced investigation, while perhaps their human side is minded to do otherwise.

Six police officers have been killed so far and we are only in the second month of the year. This figure is only a few less than the total number of officers killed last year, and it is a clear indication that something is very wrong. It is now becoming increasingly evident that the criminals in our society have no regard for law and order, and this is cause for concern. If a gunman has no problem brutally cutting down an officer of the law, what of a simple civilian?

We are in very trying times and save a miracle from God himself, there is very little that will reverse the situation.