‘Public trust’ may be at stake

Criminologist Renee Cummings believes that although the police might have a valid legal case against Kaia Sealy, they have already lost the crucial battle in the court of public opinion.

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You may have a case in the court of law, but you may have already lost in the court of public opinion.

Cummings explained that the public remembers the video footage of the car riddled with bullets, the headlines, and the grieving families. This collective memory, she argued, makes the recent announcement of arrest warrants for Sealy appear less like justice and more like an attempt by the system to exonerate itself. She noted that legal doctrines and technical arguments, while potentially sound in court, may not resonate with the public's perception of fairness and accountability.

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Because people remember the video. They remember the images of a car riddled with bullets, the headlines, the grieving girlfriend and mother of their baby girl reportedly paralysed after allegedly being shot in the spine, a father burying his son, the child left fatherless, the school friends demanding justice.

"You may have a case in the court of law, but you may have already lost in the court of public opinion," Cummings stated, highlighting the profound impact of public perception on the institution of policing. She warned that when citizens lose trust in the police, it creates a situation far more challenging than any criminal trial.

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But outside the courthouse, on the streets, in classrooms, in barber shops, taxis, grocery lines, rum shops, workplaces, churches, living rooms, and across social media timelines, another verdict is already being written in the minds of the public. And that verdict is about trust.

Cummings emphasized that policing relies on legitimacy and public belief, not just on law alone. When that trust erodes, every future investigation becomes suspect, explanations seem incomplete, and the use of force is viewed with suspicion. She concluded that while a police service can withstand criticism or scandal, it cannot survive the collapse of public trust, as this leads to a loss of moral credibility, even if authority remains on paper.

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A Police Service can survive criticism. It can survive scandal. It can survive outrage. It can even survive ineffective commissioners. But it cannot survive the collapse of public trust.