On Saturday, this newspaper reported yet another incident of someone pretending to be a police officer and, in the process, physically abusing someone and extorting money.

This time it is alleged that the complainant was accosted by 'Ricky' in Clock tower Plaza, Half-Way Tree, dragged to Waterloo Road (some way away) and robbed of $10,000 and a cellular phone.

Without a popular perception that the police act in this manner, the scam would not work. It goes back to the relationship between the police and the public. After all, in the same edition of the STAR, it was reported that a police shooting in St Ann, in which a 10-month-old baby was among the innocent people shot, was a case of mistaken identity.

Incidents like these lead the public to be extremely cautious in dealing with the police, so when someone pretending to be a police officer makes a false accusation and behaves aggressively, the person who is being assaulted will tend to comply, out of sheer fear.

However, we believe that the police can establish more trust between themselves and the public they are employed to serve and protect, as well as significantly reduce incidents of impersonation, by establishing and adhering to a code of conduct when approaching members of the public.

So when a fake 'police officer' acts out of what has been established as the norm, it will be immediately apparent not only to the intended victim but also those who might be around and the real police alerted and action taken quickly.