By Robert Hart, Staff ReporterJAMAICAN-LINKED CRIME is second only to international terrorism in the United Kingdom, according to British opinion.
British High Commissioner, Peter Mathers, speaking at the Salvation Army's Greater Kingston Advisory Board Fund-raising Dinner on Monday night, said that as much as 100 tons of cocaine is estimated to flow through the country each year, en route to ports of entry across the world.
"The Commander of (Operation) Trident has been reported as saying that gangsters, still described in some quarters as 'Yardies' because of their Jamaican connections, have spread their drug dealing and gun crime across the United Kingdom to such an extent that they now pose the biggest potential threat to policing after international terrorism," the British High Commissioner stated.
Operation Trident is a special Metropolitan Police initiative, in the UK, established to tackle gun crimes within London's black communities. It has a particular focus on drug-related shootings.
Mr. Mathers added that the situation has become very serious, though not hopeless. "We must act to get it under control and gradually to reduce it," he said.
SUCCESSFUL JOINT INITIATIVES
Mr. Mathers, who was guest speaker at the function put on to raise funds for the Salvation Army, pointed to a number of successful joint initiatives undertaken by the Jamaican and British Governments. He revealed that there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of drug couriers trying to smuggle cocaine on flights from Jamaica to the UK. "This action, in the last few months alone, has no doubt saved many lives. Those of the potential addicts and the mules themselves," he said.
The British High Commissioner, who is closing in on his first year in the island, said the British Government has opted to concentrate not only on the capture of criminals, but also on preventative measures. "We have a number of programmes to work with the Jamaican authorities to address the causes of crime, poverty, social depravation, lack of education, and the lack of opportunities for legitimate employment," he told the gathering of "soldiers" and guests.
Meanwhile, Kingston has also been included on a British list of 'Ten Cities To Beware'. The list which was published on June 21 in the UK newspaper, The Telegraph, numbers Jamaica at 191 of 215 nations in descending order of safety.
The report stated that: "Despite government efforts to increase security in the capital (Kingston), crimes against tourists show no sign of abating. Armed robbery, gang violence and shootings persist and travel to and from the airport can be dangerous, particularly on the Mountain View route."
