Paul Clarke | Interfamily violence has no place in Jamaica

Last year, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) reported several high-profile arrests in the fight against the proliferation of criminal networks and hardened gangs within our communities. However, even as we claim some victories, we find ourselves confronting another dimension in this long battle against violence and crime.

Interfamily violence, or domestic violence – as it is more commonly referred to – is now a major worry for the police and, by extension, all well-thinking Jamaicans.

Recently, there have been news reports of circumstances under which relatives have paid or acted in person to end the life of other family members.

The hard, cold fact is that too many of our young men have decided to turn to a life of crime. And the family unit, already scarred as a result of multiple reasons, including the absence of positive, strong, male role models in many households, is being ripped apart because of the preponderance of murders linked to relatives of the victims themselves.

It appears that the inheritance, or ‘dead-lef’, wars are unending, as it now blends into the increasing subculture of violence in the society, where disputes are routinely settled by the gun.

It is alleged that the recent killing of Andrea Lowe-Garwood in the sanctity of a church in Falmouth, Trelawny, was evidence of the lengths to which some people will go to exact personal grudges.

I am urging a different, less antagonistic approach. Do not get involved in these acts, because you will not get away with it. You will not benefit from the properties which you seek.

SOLVING MURDERS

As reported by this very media house last week, a Trelawny woman, Nadeen Geddes, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of her sister, Tamara Geddes, in June 2020. This is but one nugget of proof that our police have been active in their efforts to solve murders in this country, and serves also as a warning to those who are bent on creating havoc in the society.

Steps are being taken by the Government, however, to put an end to this by providing more of our citizens with certificates of title to land on which they have lived for many years, to negate any dispute over ownership.

We have seen cases where persons are now moving to engage organised crime to settle interfamily issues. Some examples are:

• St Mary – The killing of a man with the alleged involvement of his mother and sibling.

• Trelawny – The murder of a woman conspired by her siblings.

• Portland –The killing of a woman with the alleged involvement of her husband; the investigation of that case resulting in the individual being charged for murder in relation to a cold case involving the murder of his first wife.

We will work with all stakeholders to restore civility and family values, while we prepare the police to deal with this new menace.

We must learn to ‘Liv Gud’ again as family.

I am appealing to the better side of all of us. We can do better. We must be better. We cannot afford to be at war with ourselves, our sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers and cousins like this any longer. We are destroying ourselves and the country we all admit to love so dearly.

PLEDGE TO PURSUE AND PROSECUTE

As a people, we must do everything in our power to put an end to this madness. It is our pledge to pursue and prosecute to the full extent of the law those who are bent on harming others, whether those in their own family or those elsewhere.

Those who commit such heinous crimes will be locked away as directed by the court.

At the same time, our research shows the correlation between improved police performances and a decrease in serious crimes, so this administration has increased investment in the security forces. Millions of dollars have been spent to equip the Jamaica Constabulary Force with crime-fighting tools to make the jobs of their members much easier.

A proper and efficient procurement line has been established for the replenishment of motor vehicles, to make responding to emergency calls quicker and more effective throughout the country, while at the same time building out its technological infrastructure.

The Ministry of National Security has invested in the physical infrastructure by rebuilding, overhauling and constructing new police stations to afford citizens more privacy in their interactions with the police.

The guard rooms have been reconfigured as reception areas, and interview rooms have been established to allow more privacy for citizens to make reports.

Our police officers are being trained in conflict resolution, which will be used to undergird other strategic plans in the delivery of its service.

As we remake the police force to be more active, caring, forward-thinking and results-oriented, this strategic decision was taken to place you, the citizens, at the centre of all that we do.

The Ministry of National Security has continued to maximise and leverage the gains made through sustainable programmes, such as our ‘Liv Gud’ and ‘We Transform’ communication blitz, as we seek to bring order to chaos, thus making Jamaica a preferred destination for visitors and a place of friendship, love, respect and care for our fellow countrymen, women and children.

Paul N. Clarke is communications adviser/consultant to Horace Chang, deputy prime minister and minister of national security.