The Editor, Sir:

Have you ever wondered why the current government's crime plan is producing fewer results than the previous government's? Reason: There are no calls to sacrifice. No major battle ever won without sacrifice.

Before we can eradicate the scourge of crime from our society, we must first admit that it is a major problem, a hindrance to prosperity. Crime cannot be seen as another issue to deal with. It must be tackled as the number-one issue, maybe the only issue to deal with now. The society WILL NOT prosper with the current rate of crime, period.

Ideal moves

So the Government must do the following:

1.Reduce the size of all monetary allocations to the other ministries and direct the resource to fighting crime.

2.Allocate all available funds to fighting crime, even borrowing money.

3. Double the size of the police force within the next two years.

4. Give the police all available technology and equipment necessary to fight crime.

5. Ask the banks to start a crime fund where Jamaicans abroad can contribute.

6. Modernise the witness protection programme and give generous monetary reward to crime tipsters.

Once these measures are adopted and crime is under control, there will be a flood of investment to the island of the likes we could not imagine. There are millions of Jamaicans abroad who are willing to invest in their country, but they will not do so under the present climate of uncertainty. If every Jamaican overseas just build a house in the community where he/she is from, this would create an impact on the economy that no foreign loans could match.

I am, etc.,

ALVIN BUCHANAN

alvinb@htn.net

Via Go-Jamaica