The Editor, Sir:

It has been an agonising year. There are two main reasons why crime is so rampant in Jamaica.

1. The fact of the confinement of the majority of the crimes among the poorer members of the society.

2. The laziness of some members of the security forces.

Admiral Lewin is not from the barracks room and he must act to eliminate the pervasiveness of that mentality within the police force - it is as though a policeman when employed gets tenure. This ought not to be so - he should be subject to annual review. A record of his accomplishments should be kept and if he is not performing, then he should be dismissed.

12-year-old girl raped

I give you an example. On Heroes Day in the midst of national outcry against violence against women and sexual assault on our children, a friend of mine had his 12-year-old sister raped by a 36-year-old man. He was actually caught naked with the child.

A report was made to the police, and the family told that the police would have to just have a discussion with the rapist and his family. So much for Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields' receipt and tracking system (beautiful idea Mr Commissioner, but when the policemen don't comply, who is going to get them to do so?).

The family appealed to me for help. I assumed that the police perhaps did not believe the fact of the rape, so I opened my office, examined, took the necessary specimens and arranged for her to be sent to the Rape Unit the next day. No hurry there for who cares? After all, she was being asked to keep his sperm in her for only 48 hours if I had not intervened.

Who cares?

The visit to the Rape Unit involved another examination (?) and the family was told to go back to the original station in even if they were the ones who had done nothing in the first place. When they did, still no action was taken - for who cares?

Today, now the sixth post-trauma day, there has been no proper action on the part of the police, no arrest made, no prosecution started, no crime scene visit, no major task force visit, no organised crime unit visit, no special action team visit and most importantly, no counsellor visit - for who cares?

I am tired of the people from the Child Development Agency loud public talking - let them set up a hotline so the people, who can't get the police to act, can call in for help and support - for who cares?

I am tired of the political directorate talking about the protection of our children without setting in place proper help procedures - for who cares?

I am tired of 'tough talking' prosecutors and judges who lament about circuit lists, for who cares that most of the reported crimes never make the lists.

I am tired of an under supervised police force whose 'barrack room' mentality leaves all of us and our children at their incipient, incom-petent, indolent, insolent ineptitude.

I write to ask for justice for that child - raped and powerless - who will help? For who cares?

I am, etc.,

DR J.V. FORD

jephthahford@hotmail.com

Vanford Medical Centre

1 Pennant Terrace

Kingston 19

Via Go-Jamaica