Trending in Jamaica News: Who omitted the 21-gun salute at Corporal Mullings’funeral?
The omission of the 21-gun salute from Corporal Oliver Mullings’ funeral could not have been a mistake. Despite common beliefs, the Jamaica Constabulary Force is a well-run organization. So the disobedience and bad behavior we are accustomed to seeing displayed by some members on the beat contrast the internal runnings, where everything goes by the book.
Here is what the Commissioner said about the unfortunate situation:
“As a member of the JCF who performed honorably, he deserved all our best efforts in the performance of his last rites. But, unfortunately, we let him, his family, and the JCF down.
“This failure to adequately execute the standards and procedures as outlined in Force Policy will not be tolerated and once the full report is received, swift corrective action will be taken,” Commissioner Anderson warned in the email.
Jamaica’s Commissioner of Police, Anthony Anderson
Knowing what I know about the Jamaica Constabulary Force, it is hard for me to believe the omission of the 21-gun salute was a genuine mistake. The 21-gun salute is baked into the program. It is not something you forget or omit. It is sacrosanct. And it is the one thing that differentiates a falling policeman’s funeral from an ordinary civilian’s.
Another remarkable thing about the situation is the Commissioner saying he is waiting on a report to determine who was responsible for the JCF’s failure to execute a 21-gun salute at the official thanksgiving service of corporal Oliver Mullings. That’s a tell-tale sign Commissioner Anderson is hiding something. He knows who was charged with the responsibility of planning the funeral service. And I am sure it was at least an Assistant Commissioner. And I doubt an Assistant Commissioner would take it upon themselves to omit a 21-gun salute from a thanksgiving service.
Something is wrong, and the Commissioner knows about it. My grandmother used to say, ‘everything happens for a reason.’