THE TENTACLES of criminality in Jamaica are spreading far and wide, threatening to choke off the well-being of the state and its citizens. Murder, the most heinous of crimes, is running at some three a day for a total of more than 220 killed since the start of the year.
Crime in Jamaica has been documented by the U.S. State Department from which the 2003 Human Rights Report, issued last month, makes doleful reading. Extra-judicial killings by the security forces; vigilante killings by mobs; inner-city drugs and arms trafficking; targeted assaults on police officers all are cited in the report.
At yet another level, the tentacles of the extortion racket are so deep-rooted that a number of government road-building contracts have had to be put on hold. As reported in this newspaper, payments on construction sites demanded by extortionists range from $100,000 to $400,000 per fortnight for the duration of the work. This form of criminality is entangled with the equally odious practice of contractors being forced to employ politically nominated workers for a variety of jobs whether or not they have the skills to do the work properly.
There are other ramifications of extortion which are affecting the real estate market. Realtors report that entrepreneurial clients wishing to set up a business are refusing to locate it in areas where extortion is rampant. When a sale is about to be concluded and price agreed, the client first checks with other businessmen in the area and if they confirm that they are victims of extortion the sale is aborted and many clients decide not to go into business after all - another blow to the economy.
Forgery and the issuing of false documents is also undermining good order and the rule of law. It has now come to light that final divorce decrees are being "sold" by persons who forge the documents including the names of innocent attorneys and judges. The charge is about $40,000 per document and investigations are now in progress to determine the extent of a racket which threatens the court system.
The range of criminality in Jamaica displays two main characteristics ruthlessness and ingenuity. We deplore the former and regret that the energy that goes into the latter is not being channelled into legitimate enterprises. If this were the case, we would be a rich nation.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
