Dennie Quill, Contributor
THE RECENT hacking to death of yam thieves in Trelawny has tongues wagging and there appears to be more people saying they deserved it than those in sympathy. This is clearly a case of frustration reaching boiling point.
Cultivating yams is not an easy vocation. Farmers toil in the cruel heat of the sun, trying to mold hills even when the parched earth is uncooperative.
It is back-breaking work and with the current drought, yields are much less than anticipated.
These farmers must deal with the ravages of nature at the same time as they try to ward off thieves who see praedial larceny as an alternate approach to work.
Trelawny farmers were not about to entertain another plunder at 2:00 o'clock in the morning. They decided enough is enough.
GOV'T MUST TAKE BLAME
The Government must share a huge part of the blame for incidents like these.
In an earlier column I stated that people all over the country are convinced that there is not much the police can do to
protect their lives and property and they are beginning to find their own solutions. It is an ugly situation.
Here are some of the reasons why people believe the police are impotent: There is a gym on the Campion College compound which abuts the Matilda's Corner Police Station, and patrons' cars are broken into with regularity.
A car drives into the compound of the Cornwall Regional Hospital and men let out a barrage of gunshots, there is a police station nearby.
A woman is chased and shot at the KPH, a heartbeat away from the police post.
People have been robbed on the streets, in their homes, at church, in supermarket car parks, and no one is ever caught.
FARMERS UNDER SIEGE
Frustration has been transformed into anger. There are many angry people in Jamaica right now and I fear that we will be seeing more examples of vigilante justice especially in rural communities.
Rural farmers are under siege by criminals. Yams, vegetables, goats and other livestock disappear as soon as they are market ready, sometimes even before. The rural farmer has endured it all.
A man who can conceive of dressing up goats in hats and binding their mouths with handkerchiefs should be using that fertile brain to do something constructive.
But it is easier to raid someone's field and deprive the farmer and his family of the proceeds of his hard work than to seek employment.
Praedial larceny is not a new phenomenon. Many parliamentary hours have been spent debating the issue in the search for solutions.
The latest on this is that a new Praedial Larceny Act was to take effect by the end of March after the printing of new recipt books to be distributed to all registered farmers trading in agriculture.
NAME AND SHAME POLICY
Many of our Caribbean counterparts are also suffering at the hands of the praedial thieves.
Take Grenada, where the government decided to launch a counter-offensive against praedial thieves.
Apart from introducing hefty fines and harsher penalties for this crime, they came up with a Name and Shame Policy.
This means that persons
convicted of praedial larceny would have their names and photographs published in the media. Vendors who do business with these persons were also prosecuted.
Additionally the process of registration of vendors is strictly monitored.
he Grenadians also introduced mobile police units in farming communities which work in tandem with the Neighbourhood Farmers Programme.
They have also set up a telephone hotline to receive tips of praedial thieves and the government has given duty-free concession for farmers to import surveillance systems for their properties.
FARMERS' CONTRIBUTION
Farmers are the backbone of rural Jamaica. They contribute to employment thereby preventing even more youngsters from cramming the cities.
They are an important link to the tourism industry by providing produce and they also earn foreign exchange from their exports.
If they abandon their farms out of frustration, that will be a huge catastrophe to domestic food security. Our government needs to develop a new set of measures to protect the farmers.
WEST INDIES CRICKET
Last week, the underdogs demonstrated how an inexperienced team if sufficiently motivated can reach beyond themselves to produce great performances. Let's see what happens when the 'experienced' men return. More anon.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com
