Too much madness in our island

In a country where the extraordinary happens on an almost daily basis, this past week was one to remember.

Nineteen suspected gang members walked after a key witness disappeared and is feared dead.

Then, a taxi slammed into two people walking on a sidewalk in Half-Way Tree. How these things happen in this country remain a mystery.

I mean, when the police were investigating the members of this gang, did they not manage to gather evidence that was independent of any witness they were thinking of bringing to court to testify?

If I were investigating a case such as this, anything a witness told me would be verified independently before I was able to say with any certainty that the information provided was authentic.

What this means is that for the 19 alleged gang members, there would have to be corroborating evidence that could stand alone against each of them.

Of course, the amount of evidence will vary from one suspect to the next, but invariably, there should be enough to convict each one individually.

Therefore, for every single person to walk free because one person has disappeared and is feared dead is incomprehensible.

Of greater concern is that hit that the already maligned members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force will take to their already shaky credibility.

Who is going to trust the police now with any information? Who is going to come forward as a witness, seeing that the key witness in this case was seemingly eliminated so easily?

It seems the fight against crime in Jamaica just took 10 steps backward.

This is partly why, among other things, we have chaos on the streets. Taxi drivers drive recklessly knowing that the consequences are not sufficiently impacting.

There have been several reports of drivers with more than 100 traffic violations being slapped with fines that amount to little more than taps on the wrist.

Fines that should be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars are significantly lower. What, then, is the deterrent?

What is to stop the driver from breaking the traffic laws again and again and again?

The two people mowed down in Half-Way Tree deserve better. They were simply going about their business when they were hit like nine pins.

We can only hope that they make it back to full health from this terrifying ordeal.

In the meantime, the authorities need to make it so that reckless drivers know that the madness cannot continue.

They need to do whatever is necessary to protect law-abiding citizens going about their business and who have a right to exist without undue stress in their respective communities.