Dear Editor,
The broken window theory is a criminological theory of the norm-setting and signalling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and antisocial behaviour.The theory states that maintaining and monitoring urban environment to prevent small crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and toll-jumping helps to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes from happening. The theory was developed by James Q Wilson and George L Kelling.
For months the traffic police in Westmoreland kept reporting that motorbikes were causing several accidents and the bikes were, mostly, not registered, licensed, and insured. One pane in Jamaica's window was broken and remained unfixed.
Then the crime escalated, a policeman, Curtis Lewis, died after he signalled a motorcyclist to stop. He didn't, and tore off the policeman's leg in the process.
Then the crime escalated, a policeman, Curtis Lewis, died after he signalled a motorcyclist to stop. He didn't, and tore off the policeman's leg in the process.
When police are on front-line duty, like Constable Crystal Thomas, especially women cops, they shouldn't at the end of their shift board a bus with the same people they have to arrest or charge. Their representatives said that for years they have been requesting some form of transportation, another pane in Jamaica's window broken.
The fact that Rev Garnett Roper of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company was quick to offer an alternative means that he could have helped to fix the broken window. Now Constable Crystal Thomas is dead.
The lotto scammers earn about US$120,000 weekly, wash their cars with champagne, and stage money-burning contests. Another broken window. We pampered them saying their crime was reparation. In fact, they were cruelly scamming elderly Americans with dementia and alzheimers; we didn't fix it and now the murder rate associated with lotto-scamming has skyrocketed.
We can all point to various windows in Jamaica's house that are broken and need fixing, yet we procrastinate. If we had nipped the problems in the bud, our country would be far better.
The Jamaica Public Service has nearly 542,000 residential customers, and between 150,000 and 200,000 households steal electricity. Around 70 per cent of water produced by the National Water Commission is stolen and 27,000 customers in St Elizabeth owe nearly a billion dollars. Too many of Jamaica's windows are broken because we failed to arrest problems when they were cracks, and unfortunately we are now playing catch-up.
Mark Clarke
Siloah PO, St Elizabeth
Is Jamaica suffering from the broken window theory?
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The broken window theory is a criminological theory of the norm-setting and signalling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and antisocial behaviour.The theory states that maintaining and monitoring urban environment to prevent small crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and toll-jumping helps to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes from happening. The theory was developed by James Q Wilson and George L Kelling.
For months the traffic police in Westmoreland kept reporting that motorbikes were causing several accidents and the bikes were, mostly, not registered, licensed, and insured. One pane in Jamaica's window was broken and remained unfixed.
Then the crime escalated, a policeman, Curtis Lewis, died after he signalled a motorcyclist to stop. He didn't, and tore off the policeman's leg in the process.
Then the crime escalated, a policeman, Curtis Lewis, died after he signalled a motorcyclist to stop. He didn't, and tore off the policeman's leg in the process.
When police are on front-line duty, like Constable Crystal Thomas, especially women cops, they shouldn't at the end of their shift board a bus with the same people they have to arrest or charge. Their representatives said that for years they have been requesting some form of transportation, another pane in Jamaica's window broken.
The fact that Rev Garnett Roper of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company was quick to offer an alternative means that he could have helped to fix the broken window. Now Constable Crystal Thomas is dead.
The lotto scammers earn about US$120,000 weekly, wash their cars with champagne, and stage money-burning contests. Another broken window. We pampered them saying their crime was reparation. In fact, they were cruelly scamming elderly Americans with dementia and alzheimers; we didn't fix it and now the murder rate associated with lotto-scamming has skyrocketed.
We can all point to various windows in Jamaica's house that are broken and need fixing, yet we procrastinate. If we had nipped the problems in the bud, our country would be far better.
The Jamaica Public Service has nearly 542,000 residential customers, and between 150,000 and 200,000 households steal electricity. Around 70 per cent of water produced by the National Water Commission is stolen and 27,000 customers in St Elizabeth owe nearly a billion dollars. Too many of Jamaica's windows are broken because we failed to arrest problems when they were cracks, and unfortunately we are now playing catch-up.
Mark Clarke
Siloah PO, St Elizabeth
Is Jamaica suffering from the broken window theory?
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