Martin HenryTHE ANTI-CRIME archives are a goldmine of dusty good intentions. This column keeps insisting that we dust off the excellent documents, rather than pour effort into re-inventing the wheel.
Our fears, mixed with political manoeuvrings, tend to complicate the issue. But there are pretty good profiles on crime and criminals, on causes and patterns. Data is there on the geography, gender, age, circumstances, motives and methods of crime and criminals.
Even that more elusive category of domestic violence has detectable patterns. There are very few cold, unpredictable acts of domestic violence. There tends to be preceding quarrels, threats, erratic behaviour, and so on. In a number of publicised cases, the police have simply sent home complainants to be slaughtered.
In the newly energised fight against crime, threats and harassment must be treated far more seriously.
The 'Nato' squad made nine arrests on its first day of operations Monday. Inside a couple of months, every hardcore criminal in this country could be brought in or brought down.
One powerful insight for fighting crime is the rational behaviour of criminals (more rational than the response of the police!). Gary Becker, a Nobel Laureate economist at the University of Chicago, and others, have developed a model of the criminal as a rational individual acting in his own self-interest. The criminal weighs the expected costs against the expected benefits of committing a crime. There are two components to the cost of crime: one is the opportunity cost; the second, and far greater cost, is the punishment cost. The goal, in reducing crime, is to raise the expected cost of crime to criminals above the expected benefits.
The opportunity cost is not a police matter. The Government, through its economic and social agencies, with citizens' initiatives must seek to generate attractive alternatives to a life of crime. Hence the merits, in principle, of Public Defender Howard Hamilton's proposal for a $2 billion inner-city renewal project.
The punishment cost is firmly the business of the police and the courts. Even the most heinous crime murder, has such a low punishment rate that murderers, can virtually proceed with impunity. Yet every murder has a trail and distinctive 'prints' left behind.
But back to the archives. Two or three years ago, the Jamaica Constabulary Force put out its Corporate Strategy (the document is undated). "The Mission of the Jamaica Constabulary Force is to serve, protect and reassure the people in Jamaica through the delivery of impartial and professional services aimed at: maintenance of law and order; Protection of life and property; Prevention and detection of crime, and Preservation of peace." The Motto is "We serve, we protect, we reassure with courtesy, integrity and proper respect for the rights of all."
When a directive of the new crime-fighting initiative is that commanding officers must leave their offices and hit the streets with their men, we begin to understand why the Mission and Motto are merely objects of derision. The magicians Renato Adams and Donald Pusey who have been called up to lead the new anti-crime Special Unit have won their reputation as in-the-field, front-line leaders.
The biggest problem of the police is not the lack of resources but organisational rot and corrupt linkages, like so much of the rest of a crime-infested, crime-accommodating society.
Here is the strategy on crime: "In recent times, the murder rate in Jamaica has risen to a level to which both police and public find unacceptable. In other areas of major crime we have been successful in effecting a modest reduction but our efforts to do the same in respect to murder have failed. Gang related murders linked to drug trafficking and turf wars are of particular concern. Similarly, the expansion of money laundering and other white collar crime, with its de-stabilising effect on the economy needs our full attention. We intend to improve our performance in all these areas of major crime.
"All personnel of the JCF will become involved in the fight against crime. Demarcation lines will no longer be allowed to detract from our efforts. Improvements in directed patrolling by uniformed personnel will be put in place. Crime patterns will be monitored to ensure that patrols are in the right place at the right time.
Hand-picked
detectives
"Pro-activity will be our watchword. Systems for gathering, collating and disseminating intelligence will be improved, as will other support services, to enable us to target major criminals. All this will be done with integrity and with due regard for the law and the rights of the individual.
"We will reduce the murder rate by devoting more resources to the high crime areas and refining our investigative skills to achieve results.
"Hand-picked detectives will be brought together to target known killers. The unit will be given priority for resources and training. At least 100 detectives will receive basic CIB training during each year.
"A post in the CIB will no longer be regarded as permanent but will be subject to evaluation based on performance. Supervisors will be required to identify those who fail to meet set standards so that further assessment and training can be given if appropriate.
"A combination of high visibility 24 hour patrolling and targeting of known major criminals will ensure that we have a real effect on the problem.
"Special efforts will be made to improve intelligence gathering. Operational police will be regularly de-briefed and the extent of their contribution to this process will be a factor in their annual performance assessment.
"We will ensure that all commanders give top priority to major crime and their effectiveness and efficiency in this area will be critical in assessing their overall performance."
With respect to community policing, one of the three top priorities with crime and traffic, the Police Corporate Strategy said, "All Divisional Commanders will set targets at local level for the reduction of crime across the board. They will be judged by their results and performance in this area. We intend to make a transition from the traditional para-military and reactive style of policing to a more service-oriented and pro-active style appropriate to Jamaican conditions. This transition will involve a paradigm shift in our organisational culture".
So there it is. The police have a plan. They have a new Special Anti-Crime Unit. Will criminals now have any real reasons to rework their cost/benefit analyses for crime? Will more of them now pay the price for breaking the law?
Martin Henry is a communications consultant.
