WE WELCOME the good news that the Jamaican police force is to be equipped with a state-of-the-art fingerprint and ballistic identification system, a long overdue technology absolutely indispensable for fighting crime in the 21st century. Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security, has signed a $224 million contract with a French firm to supply the system which is due to be implemented by May next year.
Parliament, after long debate, has passed the Fingerprint (Amendment) Act 2005 which will give legitimacy to the setting up of a finger and palm print data base which, over time, will greatly assist the police in tracking down suspected criminals. Another important feature of the new technology is the linking of police stations throughout the island by a computer network capable of cross-matching firearms, ammunition and stolen motor vehicles. This should prove to be a plus in the fight against crime and criminality.
But there are other concerns. While our police force claims a 58 per cent 'clear-up' rate for murders, the all too obvious weakness of the system is that actual convictions are few and far between because the police lack the forensic skills and resources to marshal evidence of guilt which will stand up in court. This low conviction rate persuades criminals that they can literally 'get away' with murder, thus diluting any deterrent effect the justice system is supposed to signal. The success of the crime fight can only be enhanced by the public's confidence in the justice system. As we have noted previously, the seeds for vigilante justice and anarchy thrive when there is great disparity between the public's expectation and the actually delivery of the justice system.
The urgency of clearing the current backlog of cases is something this newspaper has been advocating for a long time. We hope this is another area that Government is giving priority attention behind the scenes. Our courts are in urgent need of upgrading, more judges need to be appointed, greater discipline in the conduct of lawyers needs to be enforced and court reporters should be trained and equipped with transcription machines for speeding up transmittal of trial records. In that regard, attempts to improve the police's administrative and investigative systems are to be encouraged and emulated. Only when all these initiatives come together, will Jamaican citizens rekindle hope for a peaceful and civilised future.
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