Heather Robinson
LAST WEEK Wednesday, I attended the Private Sector of Jamaica's (PSOJ) crime forum, 'Reclaim Jamaica'. The two-hour session was chaired by former PSOJ president, the Hon Oliver Clarke. Panelists included the Minister of National Security, Dr Peter Phillips; Opposition spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith; Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas; and the Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin. Members of the public who were in attendance, as well as the viewing and listening audience, were given an opportunity to pose questions and make suggestions.
Perhaps the most important part of the discussion on crime took place after the forum ended. Many persons were disappointed that no new ideas or solutions to reduce Jamaica's high murder rate were advanced at this forum. One got the distinct impression that some Jamaicans believe that there is some magic wand that can be waved that will automatically and immediately reduce the murder rate to a tolerable and manageable level. They also believe that there is only one person who has the responsibility to reduce Jamaica's murder rate.
That person is not the Commissioner of Police or the Chief of Staff. That person is not Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime, Mark Shields, and it certainly is not the Opposition spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith. That person is the Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Let us look at the responsibilities of each of these gentlemen. Mr. Lucius Thomas is the person who is responsible for the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The police are charged with the triple responsibility of protection, reassurance and service.
Traditionally, they are expected to stand between law-abiding citizens and criminals, investigate and solve crimes. Government is expected to provide them with the resources to carry out these functions, and we in turn expect them to care and protect these resources.
Some Jamaicans hoped that with the coming of Mark Shields, murders would have fallen dramatically overnight, and we would have been able to give him one of Jamaica's highest honours. But we now know that this has not happened and we are now at a new record of murders in our dear country, Jamaica.
There are some who believe that the JDF should be merged with the JCF, and others believe that the soldiers should be given police powers. The soldiers continue to operate with the police on joint police exercises that have yielded great success in many cases. What else we can get the soldiers to do is still a matter under discussion.
The Opposition and its spokesman on national security do not really see themselves as being part of a proactive solution to crime-solving. Instead they spend a lot of time criticising current initiatives and programmes of the Government, instead of accepting that this responsibility to make Jamaica a safer and more secure place is not just the duty of the PNP Government.
SOLUTION
Those disappointed persons who attended, heard or watched last week Wednesday's 'Reclaim Jamaica' crime forum and who expected another new solution, listen. Guess what - there is one such solution. And it involves all of us. Yes, you and me. It really does not need any criminologist, doctoral candidate or even foreigners. And it involves what many of us are already professional at doing. It involves all of us who have had eyes to see and ears to hear.
The magic wand; the overnight solution; the immediate murder reducer and the mother of all crime solutions is, simply: TALK. Tell the police what you know. Tell Lucius Thomas, Hardley Lewin, Mark Shields, Peter Phillips, Derrick Smith, Oliver Clarke, Beverley Lopez, Reverend, Doctor, Teacher, Honest Mr. and Mrs. Jamaica Land We Love. It is only when we all begin to do this that our murder rate will see a dramatic reduction. There are a multitude of radio talk shows in Jamaica. If we were to just spend 15 per cent of this time talking to CRIME STOP or KINGFISH, we would begin to see a significant reduction in murders. Every murder committed in Jamaica has a witness or someone with information. Are you that Jamaican?
Let us TALK, TALK, TALK until we have provided information on all the criminals we know, until they are outnumbered and in the words of Claude McKay, we will survive "like a strong tree among a thousand storms."
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.
