Dear Editor,
Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding said once, “When we go into communities and dismantle the criminal organisations that are embedded there, we leave a huge space which, if not quickly filled by meaningful programmes that empower people, provide training and jobs, create opportunities and offer hope, will shortly thereafter be filled by a new, smarter generation of criminals.”
This sounds eerily prophetic; isn’t that what is taking place in Tivoli Gardens? I think that we are lucky to be dealing with the attorney general. In 2013, the erudite Delroy Chuck, who seems a disciple of Lee Kwan Yew in his Sectoral Debate contribution said that he is convinced that Jamaica should adopt some practices from the Asian country if the country is to achieve significant reduction in crime. The zero-tolerance approach taken towards crime and violence by Singaporean authorities have benefited that country. He said that Singapore recorded 19 murders in 2011 and 16 in 2012.
We need to learn and adopt some of what Singapore has done. For far too long, we have failed to come to terms with the escalating and high levels of crime, and it is about time something is done, lest we deteriorate even further. Singapore utilises corporal punishment and capital punishment for serious crimes. Offences such as drug trafficking and armed robbery bring mandatory death sentence. More than 400 people were executed in Singapore between 1991 and 2004, mostly for drug trafficking.
What would be the repercussions if Jamaica carried out such bloody executions? Canada, Britain and the United States of America would isolate us; we would become a pariah State and we would have to be fighting for food in the streets.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams said that social intervention programmes are the long-term fix for these levels of criminality. However, Richard Byles, the co-chairman of Economic Programme Oversight Committee said that scammers will not be swayed by these types of programmes as they are killing each other and other people while fighting over US$50,000 scams.
If we are going to survive and not descend into the abyss of anarchy, we will have to adopt some Singaporean policies and target programmes at the youth before they start lottery scamming.
Mark Clarke
Siloah PO, St Elizabeth
mark_clarke9@yahoo.com
Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding said once, “When we go into communities and dismantle the criminal organisations that are embedded there, we leave a huge space which, if not quickly filled by meaningful programmes that empower people, provide training and jobs, create opportunities and offer hope, will shortly thereafter be filled by a new, smarter generation of criminals.”
This sounds eerily prophetic; isn’t that what is taking place in Tivoli Gardens? I think that we are lucky to be dealing with the attorney general. In 2013, the erudite Delroy Chuck, who seems a disciple of Lee Kwan Yew in his Sectoral Debate contribution said that he is convinced that Jamaica should adopt some practices from the Asian country if the country is to achieve significant reduction in crime. The zero-tolerance approach taken towards crime and violence by Singaporean authorities have benefited that country. He said that Singapore recorded 19 murders in 2011 and 16 in 2012.
We need to learn and adopt some of what Singapore has done. For far too long, we have failed to come to terms with the escalating and high levels of crime, and it is about time something is done, lest we deteriorate even further. Singapore utilises corporal punishment and capital punishment for serious crimes. Offences such as drug trafficking and armed robbery bring mandatory death sentence. More than 400 people were executed in Singapore between 1991 and 2004, mostly for drug trafficking.
What would be the repercussions if Jamaica carried out such bloody executions? Canada, Britain and the United States of America would isolate us; we would become a pariah State and we would have to be fighting for food in the streets.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams said that social intervention programmes are the long-term fix for these levels of criminality. However, Richard Byles, the co-chairman of Economic Programme Oversight Committee said that scammers will not be swayed by these types of programmes as they are killing each other and other people while fighting over US$50,000 scams.
If we are going to survive and not descend into the abyss of anarchy, we will have to adopt some Singaporean policies and target programmes at the youth before they start lottery scamming.
Mark Clarke
Siloah PO, St Elizabeth
mark_clarke9@yahoo.com