Dennis Chung, Contributor
CHUNG
ON AUGUST 27, 2004, the article I wrote was entitled 'Crime: main enemy of economic progress'. At that time over 900 persons had been murdered for the year to date, and we all know that 2004 ended up with close to 1,500 murders. As things stand now it seems as if we will surpass that total for 2005, if the trend continues as is. I say this not to profess to be a prophet, but to show how simple it was to understand that crime would be a major issue going into 2005.
I really cannot understand what foresight our leaders possess if they were not able to understand what our most pressing problems were, and still remain. Where is the proactivity that is required of leadership? It is the role of leaders to project what is likely to happen and act on it. It is therefore an indictment on many of our leaders that they were no able to see beyond the tip of their noses. A leader must be able to visualise what the future holds and then act in the best interest of the organisation or the country, even when
others cannot see it.
BEST INVESTMENT
One of the things that were pretty obvious in the past, which the Observer reported on last Sunday, was an article entitled 'Crime costly to business'. Crime is not only costly to business but the entire country. The fact is that it is projected that crime costs the country at least four per cent in GDP growth. This means that if GDP is at present $600 billion, then we are giving up at least $24 billion in GDP growth. If Government receives 30 per cent of this in taxes and fees then it means that they are foregoing $8 billion per annum. This is almost equivalent to the new taxes raised in the last budget.
This rough computation shows that the best investment we can make as a country is to solve crime. If we do this we do not have to focus on creative ways to raise new taxes and cutting back on social services. In addition to this direct impact on GDP growth we are making our companies internationally uncompetitive by loading them up with the cost of security, unproductive time, extortion and other costs relating to the present crime situation. The fact is that if we do not do solve the crime problem then all our efforts will mean nothing as crime can totally eliminate business as we know it today.
It is therefore very important that crime be our number one priority, as this is the main obstacle to economic prosperity. This means that anything that is necessary to provide the resources and solve the crime problem must be effected.
SHUTGUN APPROACH
With this said, however, it is very important that the country's leadership does not take a shotgun approach to solving crime. What this means is that we should not react to the crime problem by promoting patchwork solutions all over the place. These include the (1) "Fire with fire" statement by Delroy Chuck; (2) Demand from the PSOJ for politicians to sign a declaration; (3) Call for hanging; and (4) Statement by Vando Palmer that some people may have to give up rights. If we are not careful then we may panic and apply measures that make the situation much worse, as it will not effectively address the problem. I guess democracy means that anyone can say what comes to their mouth, but it is the responsibility of government to channel the solutions in the best direction.
This is the time when we need to sit down and take a constructive and well thought out approach to solving crime. Remember it was this approach that led to the creation of special crime squads in the police force in the eighties and nineties that contributed to our present situation. I would be the first one to agree that we are in desperate times but the solution is not to act desperately. We do need an immediate plan to halt crime escalation but more importantly we need a well thought out long term strategic plan. Many criminals today would have witnessed police brutality against their family members and friends, and this could be a reason why they are so brutal in their attacks. If we really want to solve crime then the approach must be all-inclusive, as every Jamaican must see a benefit.
This was one of a problem with our intelligence gathering in earlier years. If the community sees the 'gunman' as Robin Hood, feels threatened by the police, or is protected by the 'gunman' from attacks of other communities, then why give away that person. The immediate response of that community will be immediate survival, which comes from the 'gunman'. It is therefore going to be very important that any solution to crime involves the buy-in of the entire Jamaica and must demonstrate benefits for everyone. This is similar to consensus within an organisation for any strategic direction taken. If only one or two persons participate in, or can see the vision, then more than likely only one or two persons will be left with the burden of implementing it.
IMAGE OF THE POLICE
One of the first things, therefore, that the Government must deal with is cleaning up the image of the police force. The security forces are the ones who are supposed to fight crime, and is the final deterrent to a society overrun by criminals. This again is similar to the internal audit function in an organisation. If that function is either inefficient or corrupt then what is there to prevent fraud and lack of controls. It is, therefore, very important that this function be not only effective but also independent. The police must be an independent body in its actions, and should not be influenced by any other sector of persons, although should be held accountable by Government and the people.
I think the first step in dealing with corruption in the police has been taken with the pronouncement by the Commissioner that corrupt "cops" exist and the call for them to be weeded out. This is an excellent example of good leadership and I hope he will get the support needed to take the next step and deal with the problem. Corporate Jamaica and the public also have a responsibility to support this statement via our contributions and actions, and not just words.
CORRUPTION
Another very important tool for dealing with crime is addressing corruption at all levels. For years Mike Surridge has been saying that corruption is not being dealt with effectively, primarily because of the environment we operate in. Only this week the Prime Minister commented that the Income Tax department has not been doing enough to fight crime, which he must be commended for. Al Capone was brought down on income tax evasion, not the many other crimes he was suspected of committing. It is the ineffectiveness in addressing corruption that has created the environment for serious crimes to flourish.
As we move forward we must understand that economic prosperity can only be truly achieved in an environment where crime is under control. Dealing with crime is the best return on investment that we can realise as a country and so must be priority one for government, private sector and the general public.
E-mail: dra_chung@hotmail.com
