By Lynford Simpson, Staff Reporter
DESPITE SOME negative feedback, Dr. Peter Phillips, National Security Minister, remains optimistic that the latest anti-crime plan announced by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson on December 1 last year will be a success.
He reiterated that it will remain in place for as long as it takes to break the back of the crime wave which left more than 1,000 persons dead last year.
"When we announced those initiatives in December ...(we said) the effort was going to be sustained," he emphasised.
The difference this time around, he said, was the multi-faceted approach taken by the Government in tackling the problem. Apart from equipping the security forces to deal with the problem, emphasis is also being placed on the economic and social transformation of the inner-city communities in which the bulk of the crime takes place.
The current strategy involves the deployment of the security forces for long periods in the volatile areas. Sections of Hannah Town in West Kingston and Tavares Gardens (Payne Land) in South West St. Andrew have remained under curfew since December 1 when the initiative was launched. The impact was almost immediate as there was a significant reduction in major crimes in these areas.
"We have seen some particular benefits that have transpired since December..." the Minister noted. These benefits include the containment and reduction of violent crimes in the particular communities. "Perhaps of more significance in terms of its longer-term potential is the improvement in the relationship between citizens and the security forces... this has had a positive impact on both sides," the Security Minister emphasised.
Some residents share his views. "Right now we don't mind the soldiers and the curfew because we feel much safer," one Hannah Town resident told The Gleaner. She admitted to an uneasy relationship with members of the security forces, bordering on hatred, prior to December 1.
Now residents work alongside security personnel in keeping their communities clean. A health fair was held in Tavares Gardens in December and the residents expressed their gratitude.
Among the initial successes of the new initiative were the recovery of more than two dozen guns, several rounds of ammunition and the detention of several wanted men.
But, while there have been successes, there are no reports that the gangs that were targeted have been disbanded. The Minister has admitted that the economic and social profile of the country had to change before crime is brought down to tolerable levels.
Referring to it as a 'chicken-and-egg situation', Dr. Phillips said: "My own view is that crime stifles economic potential. It imposes greater transaction costs on business and acts as a repellent to your most highly skilled manpower. People who can get jobs elsewhere seek them."
He pointed to Red Hills Road, St. Andrew, which was once buzzing with night life, an economic source for many residents. He lamented that "crime and violence has killed it".
"I think that (Red Hills Road) is a kind of microcosmic expression of a kind of macrocosm for Jamaica."
Nonetheless, the Security Minister said he was encouraged by the level of co-operation between Jamaica and the Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States. A team from the UK is currently in the island assisting the police with the setting up of the National Intelligence Bureau within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
The Minister pointed to the record number drug seizures last year, stating that the amount of money that was confiscated was also at record levels. "It has been demonstrated that success in the face of this monster is possible. The battle can be won and we must win it as a country. It is an issue that should transcend the political and social divide," Minister Phillips said.
Pointing to rising levels of crime in places like Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, the Minister noted that such developments suggest that there is some wider dynamics at work. "It is increasingly recognised by our international partners in the developed world and in the Caribbean that the nature of the problem is such that it requires international solutions," Dr. Phillips said.
