FORBES AND DAVIES
THE EDITOR, Sir:
RESPONSIBILITY FOR out-of-control crime lies with Dr. Omar Davies, not Commissioner Forbes.
When there are problems, the general tendency is to find a scapegoat or a sacrificial lamb on which to place all the blame.
With crime at a very high level Commissioner Forbes has become the scapegoat/sacrificial lamb. The stark reality is that as things are in Jamaica today it does not matter who one puts as the Commissioner, crime will continue to rise.
The main contributing factors:-
1. Social factor i.e. lack of jobs. With continued high unemployment the hungry, angry and needy must find avenues to survive. Crime becomes the avenue of choice. Where is the Minister of Finance in all this? He is the prime mover in the economic well-being of this nation! Is he meeting his responsibility? It must be his shoulders upon which most of the blame must be put.
POORLY EQUIPPED
2. The police force is poorly equipped to deal with the present crime situation. They are under-funded and it is unlikely that they will receive proper funding any time in the near future.
3. Criminal elements are being deported from First World Countries most of them acquired their criminal 'skill' abroad. They think global. They are ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve their evil goals.
4. Drugs; Jamaica is a transshipment port. The present police force has not got the wherewithal to effectively deal with the drug trade. This requires 'mega bucks' for men and equipment.
5. Domestic violence: The incidents of domestic crime and murder are ever on the increase. This stems from social problems. One can hardly expect the police to be in every kitchen and backyard solving social problems.
6. Pressure from the very vocal 'bleeding heart minority' who see all the "ills and brutality of the police and have no hesitation in raising hell, yet when crime escalates we hardly hear a peep from them. Many police are super cautious to the point of turning a blind eye to some criminal incidents rather than incurring the wrath of this misguided minority.
EDUCATION
7. Last but most important is Education. Jamaica is festering with semi-literate persons with very little civility. Groups who do not care, have nothing to lose, and will do anything at any cost to survive. Many of these persons are unemployables or can only do menial work - work which many of them avoid. Badmanship to them is more beneficial.
With the above-mentioned factors, what can Commissioner Forbes do? He is given an unsealed wicker basket to carry water. His is a thankless job.
The Ministry of Finance should be taking the major initiative and responsibility for the state of Jamaica today.
In New York the crime rate decreased as the economy grew. The same can happen in Jamaica. Over to you Dr. Omar Davies.
I am, etc.,
GARTH MARTIN
P.O. Box 33
Port Maria