The Editor, Sir:

The guns in Spanish Town have been fairly quiet for a long time. Our dons from the west and east of the town were taken out. Why then has the mayhem in Spanish Town (bordered by five constituencies) for the last 12 months been declining or dying and how long will we enjoy this freedom of travel in the Old Capital? It is not surprising that the answer lies among us - the people, the police and the politicians.

We all have become a part of this complex social problem. Many of us were either blind, deaf or/and dumb to what was happening. People no longer trust the police and, worst of all, they have lost confidence in the leaders of our society.

Since the re-emergence of Superintendent Harry Daley, communities in Spanish Town are rebuilding their hope. He adamantly has been an advocate and practitioner of a different philosophy in community policing. This concept is not new, but had failed miserably in the past because of poor crime management strategies, lack of trust and politically activated mercenaries within the force. With his intimate knowledge of Spanish Town, he has not only taken a tough stance on crime, but has renewed focus on ways to prevent crime, reduce fear of crime and improve quality of life in neighbourhoods.

Professional police officer

This police officer is professional, intelligent and accommodating to anybody of the community. Anyone trying to detect any political flavour in him will certainly fail, unlike with some other officers. As Spanish Town remains a political hot hub, frequent transfer of police personnel is welcome, as some are more involved than Bustamante and Manley and depend on politics and corruption for their survival.

Superintendent Daley and his motivated team have been developing mutually beneficial ties with local government and community members. This engendered support for the police activities will provide a basis for a productive working relationship with the communities that will find solutions to local problems.

Establishing mutual trust

His main task, therefore, is to establish and maintain mutual trust which is the goal of community partnership. We all must however realise that strategies of community policing applied by Superintendent Daley do not offer a quick fix. They require long-term commitment by police to work with community members to reach mutually agreed upon goals. Nevertheless Superintendent Daley must be commended for helping to create an atmosphere in which vicious crimes will not flourish.

Forming lasting partnerships to eradicate the underlying causes of crime will take effort, time and patience on the part of all involved. Now then is the right time for effective government programmes and social interventions to be implemented in Spanish Town.

I am, etc.,

Dr. RAYMOTH NOTICE

shaq@cwjamaica.com

Former Mayor of Spanish Town

Via Go-Jamaica