Garth Rattray, Contributor
MURDERERS SEEM determined to break their own record. Already, between January 1 and 16 the carnage claimed 77 human lives. Cold-blooded killers sometimes act alone but are often the minions of evil men hell-bent on bringing about their own form of "disorder" wherein society will be subjugated by bullies, gangsters, murderers, drug dealers and extortionists. They are surreptitiously revolting against civil autho-rity - just like insurgents. Our fight against crime is therefore no less vital or noble than any other nation's fight for democracy and freedom.
Crime is like a cancer with a genetic predisposition and environmental trigger(s). We are obviously genetically predisposed to violence and tribalism, and, the triggers are divisive politics, poverty, marginalisation and ignorance.
Last year, one of the hardest hit areas was the St. Andrew Southern (SAS) Police Division, headquartered at the Hunt's Bay Police Station and commanded by Superintendent Newton "Thunder" Amos. They experienced 20 per cent of the murders islandwide. SAS has 195,453 registered and unregistered voters divided up between four politicians: The Honourable Portia Simpson Miller, Derrick Smith, O.T. Williams and Andrew Holness.
POLICE-TO-POPULATION RATIO
Although the Police Force Planning and Research Department says that the island's police-to-population ratio is one policeman to every 343 citizens, the SAS division has just over 300 policemen and policewomen on staff, an approximate ratio of one to 650.
SAS has to deal with 40 criminal gangs operating out of depressed areas from Greenwich Town to Ferry and 27 different places in between. In spite of this, SAS outdid every other division last year by recovering 1,289 rounds of ammunition and 105 illegal firearms (11 rifles, 62 semi-automatic pistols, 16 revolvers, five shotguns, five sub-machine guns and six home-made guns).
It also led the field by confiscating 2,250 knives, searching 14,410 persons, 7,795 premises, 6,410 vehicles, and carrying out 187 cordons and searches in addition to 6,542 raids. Already this year they have seized 9 illegal guns in 18 days. Drawing on his years of experience, S.P. Amos believes that the recovery of 105 illegal firearms saved many hundreds of lives.
I spoke with Supt. Amos because I was curious to learn how a division with several volatile areas, besieged by criminal activity, plagued by staff and equipment shortage could accomplish so much. He attributed most of the successes of SAS to the division-based intelligence unit that does technical, in-depth analysis of information gathered on a daily basis from a police and civilian perspective. Using this information, the police are able to deploy limited human resources more efficiently and carry out "surgical strikes" instead of the old-fashioned sweeps and detention of numerous suspects.
FEWER FATAL (POLICE) SHOOTINGS
Because of this, there have been fewer cases of fatal (police) shootings and false arrests. Citizens have also been far more cooperative. Aside from direct responses to criminal activities, in 2004 SAS gave four other major areas priority: traffic management, community-based policing, service and ethics, and financial resource management. Their aggression in traffic management has resulted in a reduction in the number of road fatalities. Community-based policing employs 'round the clock' foot patrols coordinated with radio-car satellites. They also work in conjunction with youth clubs, safe schools programmes, neighbourhood watches and civic consultative committees.
Supt. Amos sees the way forward being hampered by overcrowded lockups and a turnstile justice system. To counter this, he proposes that prisoners awaiting sentencing be housed elsewhere, that cases be better prepared (ideally with the aid of a Director of Public Prosecutions lawyer assigned to that division) and that the police make use of the Bail Act to their advantage.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear the superintendent emote passionately on the social aspects of criminality. He said that last year, 93 arrests were made in connection with the 105 illegal firearms seized. Ninety-one were young men between the ages of 15 and 25 years old. They were unemployed, unemployable and/or illiterate. He said that over 5,000 new persons are committing crimes every year. They consist of desperate school-leavers or dropouts with nothing to do and are therefore prepared to be caught or killed while committing crimes. He expects that if nothing is done, the number of murders will double very soon.
Politicians take heed.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
