Cops faced with making split-second decisions in highly charged incidents have been urged by Jamaica’s police chief to show “emotional maturity”, become “deliberate thinkers”, and act professionally.Further, Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has urged the men and women under his command not to be daunted by criticisms and the “psychological burden” of decisions they are required to make “in fractions of seconds on a roadside, in a volatile and hostile crowd, during a domestic dispute, or in the face of imminent danger”. Blake delivered his message in the weekly Force Orders circulated on the weekend to all members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, noting that he wanted to discuss the topic of decision-making because “it bears significant relevance to recent occurrences that risk eroding the trust and confidence of those who we serve”. The message came days after the caught-on-video shooting death of 45-year-old Latoya Bulgin, also called ‘Buju’, inside her motor vehicle by a policeman in Granville, St James, on May 17 ignited a firestorm of public criticisms.The policeman has not been charged with any crime, but has been suspended from duty pending an investigation.Blake said he understood that the psychological burden of difficult decisions can weigh heavily on cops long after an incident has ended, noting that sometimes the hardest part of policing is not the moment itself, but the lingering question afterwards. “’Could I have done something differently?’ That level of reflection is human and healthy. But let it drive growth, not self-destruction. We do not improve by fearing decisions, but instead by learning from them,” he wrote in his weekly column ‘Commissioner’s Corner’.“I therefore encourage every one of you to become a deliberate thinker…reflect honestly on mistakes. Exercise restraint where restraint is required and courage where courage is demanded. Sound decision-making is developed through discipline, integrity, humility, and continuous learning.”The police commissioner noted that every day across Jamaica, cops are called upon to make judgement calls that carry consequences for life, liberty, safety, public confidence, and national stability.These decisions, he said, are often made amid uncertainty, under pressure, fatigue, emotional intensity and with incomplete facts.But while acknowledging that cops are not above scrutiny, Blake took a shot at critics, insisting that there is an important distinction between evaluating a decision and ignoring the conditions under which it was made.“Critics and [public] commentators often have the benefit of time, distance, hindsight, multiple video angles, legal consultation and emotional detachment. You who are on the ground have none of those luxuries. What we have to work with is training, judgement, instinct, experience, and seconds to act,” he said.“This is why emotional maturity and professional resilience are indispensable qualities in policing. We must learn not to become paralysed by criticism nor intoxicated by praise. Good decision-making is not the absence of criticism; rather, it is the disciplined pursuit of what is lawful, ethical, and necessary despite criticism,” the commissioner added.Bulgin is one of 20 people killed by the security forces so far this month, according to statistics published by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), the oversight body for the police, the army and correctional officers.A total of 135 police fatal shootings were recorded between January and May 25 this year, the INDECOM data revealed.No body-worn cameras were issued to or worn by the three cops who were conducting crowd control duties at the time Bulgin was killed, the oversight body disclosed.According to reports, Bulgin got into an altercation with police personnel who were monitoring a protest in the community over the police killing of a 17-year-old boy one week earlier.Video footage of the interaction showed Bulgin, who was in a vehicle, attempting to drive off after which the policeman discharged his firearm.livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com