THE EDITOR, Sir:OVER THE past few weeks, our nation has been wailing over the state of crime in St. Catherine and more importantly the number and age of the lives murdered in such criminal activities. The Gleaner made a report of a 12-year-old boy of St. James who seriously stabbed a female student in her side while she tried to end a fight between him and another girl. In a similar report in the Wednesday Gleaner of February 11, 2004, we are told of a 17-year-old male student in Hanover who allegedly murdered a 50-year-old bus driver with a knife outside the gates of the school. In addition, police from the area noted that they have made several visits to the school to reprimand students for their indiscipline, "We will have to go back to the drawing board to formulate new strategies to deal with the problem", commented Commanding Officer Deputy Superintendent Linnette Williams-Martin.
In a draft national youth policy document for 2003, we are told that 15 per cent of students ages 10 to 18 carry a weapon to school. Fourteen per cent of boys and five per cent of girls have been stabbed or shot in a fight and eight per cent of all adolescents have been knocked unconscious as a result of a fight and one in six adolescents belong to a gang at some point during their youth. Clearly, not only do we have escalating rates of crime but equally fresh stock of perpetrators to replenish those lost.
It is evident that we have an epidemic even if we refuse to call the spade a spade. Jamaicans know that there is political tribalism where politicians pay to be voted for; that drugs are coming into our ports slipping past our air hostesses and customs; that there are area dons who police and who other authorities have to consult before making any significant changes or propositions to inner-city and garrison communities.
It is my belief that if we prevent juvenile delinquency then we would have treated crime. The government is paying too much attention to the 'big fish' and too little on the 'sprats'. The sprats will become big fishes eventually! There is however one very important point to make at this juncture. All Jamaica is responsible for controlling crime it is not only the responsibility of the Government, police and security forces. If preventing juvenile delinquency is treating crime, then at the micro-level, teachers, Ministers of Religion and most importantly parents/ guardians, have a huge responsibility. At the macro-level, rather than implementing policies that only treat crime and criminals, Government needs to pay more attention to implementing those that prevent delinquency.
I propose that police and soldiers be used as facilitators in our future endeavours with the primary objective here being to foster good community relations between children, young people and the security forces. Additionally, the Ministry of Education should introduce in the school curriculum at all levels, (including kindergarten, courses or classes of anger management/self control; proper conduct under various situations: just to name a few. These recommendations are in recognition of the fact that crime is a problem that concerns the entire nation and all should therefore play their part.
I am, etc.,
NGOZI MCKENZIE (MS.)
Sociologist/Criminologist
