Dennie Quill, ContributorTHERE WAS Minister Phillip Paulwell on national television last weekend - the picture of a very frustrated man appealing for peace in a troubled area of his East Kingston constituency.
Faced by the turbulence in their area, the mothers and children were also seen demonstrating because of the fear being driven into the hearts of their children.
The most puzzling part of the news clip was the announcement from the ubiquitous Paul Burke, a high-ranking PNP executive, that "the police are coming". After two murders and nights and days of shooting, why was the area not blanketed by police and soldiers? I would like someone to tell me if the police were waiting for a special signal to go into the area to protect innocent citizens.
Murder and mayhem abound all across the land - from August Town to Gordon Pen and many communities in between.
Let's take an area like August Town. Assume there are 20 gunmen in that community. Are we saying the state apparatus is incapable of snaring and bringing to justice these 20 men? Should these communities share some of the blame for providing safe haven for these criminals?
40 PERSONS MURDERED IN ONE WEEK
With 40 persons murdered last week, the topic of crime and violence is on many people's minds. Opinions vary and many are calling for new approaches to solving crime. Crime has remained stubbornly high in this country over the last couple of years. There are well-tested crime reduction techniques that we hear about from time to time why can't we try some of these?
Let me indulge in some amateur criminology. What we are seeing is what I will label 'extra-judicial self-help'. Bearing in mind that vengeance is a part of human nature, persons who have been victims of violence are now spurning the official channels of redress and dispensing their own brand of justice. The police, struggling with limited human and other resources, have been exposed as being inept and incapable of handling the situation. With our great appetite for violence, many of these murdered were killed by similar rogues who were in fact settling a score. These are nothing more than vigilante killings.
Much as we are frustrated at the killings, let us not forget that it is in the courts where transparency and accountability prevail. We cannot endorse these killings, if in fact I am correct that what we are seeing is an increase in jungle justice. The police should not merely be reeling off these statistics week after week; they need to be studied carefully. The seeds of anarchy are being planted.
THE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS
I keep asking myself what is our government doing about this dire situation? It is not a minister of national security problem. The search for solutions has to be tackled across every level of the administration encompassing national, regional and local bodies.
Every member of the government with portfolio responsibility should see this as the single most important issue facing the nation today. The intractable violence has huge implications, particularly for health and tourism. When parents hear that 40 murders were committed in Jamaica last week, they will want their children to shun this country as a Spring break destination.
It must be a priority of our government to relieve the pain and suffering of mainly poor women who we see night after night baring their souls in the media. Too many families have been devastated by this scourge on the land.
Yes, resources are limited but it is imperative that the government focus attention on the items which will ensure long-term peace and stability for all Jamaicans.
When it comes to spending on matters of national security, very few would quarrel about money spent on better equipping the police and enhancing their training and investigative techniques.
The Opposition party should be pressing the government for urgent, detailed responses to this problem.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com.
