Letter of the Day | Focus on fatalities is a flawed strategy

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As we approach the end of another year, two organisations are evaluating their goals of reducing fatalities. The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has a goal of reducing murders and the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has a goal of reducing road fatalities.

Malcolm Gladwell, a bestselling author with Jamaican roots, showed that before a plane crash occurred, on average, some seven different things went wrong or seven different systems failed, all of which contributed to the crash. In road safety, we can easily recognise multiple failures which cause crashes. The traffic ticketing system which does not integrate with the licensing authority allowing persons to accumulate hundreds of tickets. There is also the failure of the courts to issue warrants against these delinquent motorists, and failure of enforcement which allows some motorists to operate with impunity. Then there is the legislative framework which does not allow the police to arrest persons with outstanding tickets. The list goes on.

Persons may survive an accident but succumb to injuries because of mismanagement on the scene, or because of delays in getting appropriate medical attention. The NRSC’s mandate is to develop and implement road safety, conduct public education programmes, and to act as a lobby group for the promotion of road safety.

The JCF speaks of preventing murders. What specific function could a corporal perform which would have prevented a footballer from being stabbed to death at a beach, or two security guards from being killed in an apparent robbery attempt? Why would the JCF speak of control over factors for which it has none? The roles of the JCF are to maintain law and order, assist in the prevention and detection of crime, investigate alleged crimes, protect life and property, enforce all criminal laws and to provide assistance to the public.

The JCF currently does not adequately manage the predictable crimes in plain sight. These are specifically road traffic infringements, robberies, domestic violence and the likes. How does it propose to manage crimes which are planned and orchestrated? The broken windows theory of criminal justice holds that “seemingly minor instances of social and physical disorder in urban spaces can contribute to an atmosphere of lawlessness that encourages more serious crimes”. In other words, the theory posits that signs of disorder breed additional disorder.

Fatalities, whether on the roads, or as a result of violent crimes are the tip of the iceberg. If we want to address the issues, the fundamental and large underpinnings which contribute to this must be adequately addressed. A focus on fatalities is a severely flawed strategy.

ORVILLE NEMBHARD