Not because we have fallen short means we are worthless ... Good people are in the inner-city. Let them get a chance to step the step and walk the walk," - Delroy Frater, former prison inmate, CJSP participant from Kencot.
Nine inner-city communities received awards for the significant strides they made in maintaining peace in their respective areas last year.
The awards were presented by the Ministry of National Security on Saturday night at the Hilton Hotel in New Kingston.
The communities were Rose Town, Kencot, Fletchers Land, Greater Allman Town, Grants Pen, Top Range and Ambrook Lane/Cassia Park, Matthew's Lane and Dunkirk. Representatives from these areas were all participants of the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) and the Community Security Initiative (CSI).
All nine communities recorded a dramatic decrease in murder and other crimes last year while in others there was none. The Matthew's Lane community and its environs was one of the major successes with murders dropping from 38 in 2005 to nine in 2006 following the intervention of the programme.
"People believe nothing good comes from the ghetto, but that is wrong," said one participant, Patricia McCray, of a Hannah Town address. Through the programme, the former unemployed mother of four boys was able to receive gainful employment and send her children to school.
Guest speaker at the awards banquet, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller hailed all communities that participated in CSJP and pledged to extend the programme. She said programmes such as this gave people living in the inner-city a sense of identity and belonging.
Community development
"When we give more attention to community development then there is nothing that can stop the country's economic progress," the Prime Minister said.
Minister of National Security Dr. Peter Phillips shared similar thoughts on the work of the programme. He said the programme was evidence that the Government was willing to channel resources to fight lawlessness.
The CSJP works in 15 inner-city communities across the Corporate Area and is aimed at reducing violence on a sustained basis by strengthening the crime management capabilities of community leaders and volunteers and by improving the delivery of judicial services.
Dr. Phillips noted that community policing played a significant role in crime reduction last year and that the Government would be targeting more community-based organisa-tions to help in the fight against crime in 2007.
