Dennie Quill, Contributor
MANY PEOPLE are throwing cold water on the PSOJ-led anti-crime initiative which began on Wednesday. What will it achieve, they ask? However, history is replete with examples of how people power has forced mammoth changes in societies. We have to start somewhere. Government's first duty is to keep its citizens safe. Our government has failed to do this. People are angry. People are disappointed. People are frustrated.
And, perhaps for the first time, citizens of Jamaica feel compelled to hold members of the political arena to account for the unprecedented rise in murder and other criminal activity as they watch the social fabric of our country deteriorate.
Even if the 12-point declaration is not met with the anticipated results, a clear signal would have been sent to the politicians. We are likely to see much sanctimonious posturing and pretentious outrage in the days ahead. But the fact is the people will be watching to see how the political leadership responds to the demands being made on them.
EXTORTION
Extortion is not a recent phenomenon. Stories have been appearing in the press and the matter has been discussed in many of the country's board rooms. Estimated to be a billion-dollar industry, the extortion racket has thrived under successive governments and with the collusion of the private sector. Fuelled by my own concern about this creeping evil, I recall meeting with some important business people in downtown Kingston during the '90s to see whether something could be done to staunch the problem. The men were mum. No one knew anything about extortion racket and I frustratingly said to a friend? "We will hear about it when it gets out of control."
We have seen what has happened to the once vibrant Red Hills Road where commerce has been brought to a virtual standstill, not to mention the many lives that have been wasted along that strip.
The extent to which extortion has been allowed to flourish in the country leaves one to wonder whether lingering vestiges of a socialist philosophy abet this kind of criminal activity because the extortionists take care of poor people - modern-day Robin Hoods.
It's a cynical view but it is reasonable to come to such a conclusion, because although there has been a great deal of chatter about extortion there has never been any concerted effort on the part of the police, the business sector, or the politicians to deal with it.
CAUGHT RED-HANDED
There is the classic example of an extortionist who was caught red-handed and convicted the judge demonstrated how much he thought about the crime by handing him a six-month suspended sentence. The court is like a toothless poodle, is the message being sent out to potential criminals. It is imperative that the laws be strengthened to send the right signal to criminals. Many members of the judiciary behave as if they live in a cocoon. We expect appropriate sentences to fit the crime. And the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has a duty to ensure tough prosecutions.
Returning to the 12-point declaration, I notice its silence on the issue of weapons trafficking. I have always felt, without any proof, that the importation of weapons and ammunition is being done by business people who have the resources and the wherewithal to mask their deadly consignments. The PSOJ also needs to appeal to its members who are involved in weapons or drug trafficking to desist.
Every now and then some arms are found and if anyone is ever arrested, it is usually a driver, handyman or valet, never the real man.
So the fight against crime should include the disarming of the marauding gangs which we know exist across the country. Guns are made for one thing shooting. A concerted effort should be made to get these weapons of destruction off the streets. It will take intelligence and commitment.
The United States boasts that overall crime has dropped for eight consecutive years. Yet they talk about the need to work harder and smarter to keep crime on the run.
In Hamburg, Germany, the murder rate dropped by 45 per cent between 1993 and 2001, yet in September 2001 an outraged public swept into power a man known as 'Judge Merciless' who advocated the castration of persistent sex offenders.
All over the world people are demanding that their governments come up with "outside the box thinking" to ensure their neighbourhoods are safe and they can enjoy the peace and quiet of their homes. Jamaicans require no less and the human and financial resources must be found to effect this change in national security.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com
