THE EDITOR, Sir:
'12 KILLED IN A DAY'. That was the headline on the Gleaner front page of September 15, 2005. Certainly that story will remain etched in the minds of many Jamaicans for some time. Police records now indicate that someone is murdered in this country every six hours and that over 1,200 murders have been committed so far. I have observed seemingly marked increases in carjackings, brazen shootings, stabbings and even ransom-oriented kidnappings.
In all this mayhem, one seriously wonders where this country is going. Though one cannot reasonably allocate all blame to the Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, he still bears a significant amount of responsibility. Notwithstanding the launch of much vaunted initiatives like Operation Kingfish, the media savvy minister has failed to stymie the crime scourge annihilating our country. Excellent PR is successfully veiling his poor performance.
In regards to short-term measures, there is a need for the immediate assessment or reassessment of the role of the Jamaica Defence Force; the members of the JDF should after appropriate retraining become more integrated into the crime-fighting process. The competence levels of our senior police officers and the structure of the Jamaica Constabulary Force should also be assessed.
Most Jamaicans have lost all confidence in the capabilities of the JCF. Though they suffer from a severe and impairing resource shortage, far too many criminals are just slipping through. The acute levels of corruption are also suppressing the public's confidence in the force.
MOST MURDEROUS COUNTRY
Finally, the government must accept and acknowledge the fact that it was under their watch that Jamaica became one of and possibly the most murderous country on earth. They must also acknowledge that there is a rapidly continuing collapse of law and order across our beloved nation. It is in the nation's interest for the ruling administration to take radical measures, without the abrogation of basic human rights, to hopefully stem a grave crime dilemma.
I am, etc.,.
DELANO SEIVERIGHT
delanoseiveright@yahoo.com
Kingston 20
Via Go-Jamaica
