The Jamaica government warned criminals that the authorities...

The Jamaica government warned criminals that the authorities would move swiftly against them, as law enforcement officials urged the Patterson administration to resume capital punishment. "Those who challenge the foundations of our country with their criminality must know that we will never surrender," National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips said at the funeral on March 7 of Senior Superintendent Lloyd McDonald. McDonald, 46, was shot dead in a marked police car on 20 February at a road intersection in Kingston. The national security minister was told that the government needed to resume capital punishment to send a message to those involved in murder in the country. In a tribute to McDonald, Sergeant David White said there were many people who would perform the job of the hangman for free. "To the government, I say activate the duty of the hangman. If it is an economic matter then there are those among us who will do it for you," he added. No-one has been hanged in Jamaica since the mid-1980s although capital punishment was not abolished.