Dear Editor,
So murders are up in seven parishes, especially in St James (no surprise), St Ann, St Mary, Trelawny and (also no surprise) Clarendon. Nationally, however, homicides are down, carried by Kingston, St Andrew (except for Central) and remarkably gang hot spot St Catherine. St Catherine is the only real change on the crime front.
Before the “fix” becomes more men and vehicles, it seems obvious that what is working in the eastern end of the country should get an urgent check.
In a recent encounter in Spanish Town I found the grasp of the St Catherine scene shown by the leadership of the Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Branch and the Peace Management Initiative very insightful. So my plea is for method over materials from those who know the score.
The key is social intervention, but not just any. Who is targeted, by whom, the specific lines of activity and the follow-through are what will determine the outcome. Otherwise the disruption of the St Catherine gangs, however well-pursued by the police, will have no better effect than in West Kingston where, six years after the removal of Dudus, Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town are still gripped by deadly inter-gang rivalry.
So method. That’s how some of the two-third’s share of he bilateral and multilateral funding from the British, Canadians and the Inter-American Development Bank that went to the Ministry of National Security in the recent budget — as against the one-third that went to the Ministry of Justice — should be spent; not just on plane, boat and truck. Then that division would not be so aggrieved, as the hardware acquired included body cameras for police and fewer lethal weapons.
Horace Levy
halpeace.levy78@gmail.com
So murders are up in seven parishes, especially in St James (no surprise), St Ann, St Mary, Trelawny and (also no surprise) Clarendon. Nationally, however, homicides are down, carried by Kingston, St Andrew (except for Central) and remarkably gang hot spot St Catherine. St Catherine is the only real change on the crime front.
Before the “fix” becomes more men and vehicles, it seems obvious that what is working in the eastern end of the country should get an urgent check.
In a recent encounter in Spanish Town I found the grasp of the St Catherine scene shown by the leadership of the Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Branch and the Peace Management Initiative very insightful. So my plea is for method over materials from those who know the score.
The key is social intervention, but not just any. Who is targeted, by whom, the specific lines of activity and the follow-through are what will determine the outcome. Otherwise the disruption of the St Catherine gangs, however well-pursued by the police, will have no better effect than in West Kingston where, six years after the removal of Dudus, Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town are still gripped by deadly inter-gang rivalry.
So method. That’s how some of the two-third’s share of he bilateral and multilateral funding from the British, Canadians and the Inter-American Development Bank that went to the Ministry of National Security in the recent budget — as against the one-third that went to the Ministry of Justice — should be spent; not just on plane, boat and truck. Then that division would not be so aggrieved, as the hardware acquired included body cameras for police and fewer lethal weapons.
Horace Levy
halpeace.levy78@gmail.com