Devon Dick

Reverend Dr. Roy Notice, pastor of the Mandeville New Testament Church of God, in a courageous and clear sermon at last Thursday's National Leadership Prayer Breakfast, encouraged Jamaicans to love God and their neighbour and to perceive Jamaica as one neighbourhood. Insightfully, in viewing Jamaica as one neighbourhood, he lamented that a hindrance to our development was that "we too tief". He mentioned that "police a tief"; and "parson a tief" and "politician a tief". I

There has been this proverbial stain on the professionalism of the police force that members use their office to advance their financial assets. I have had cops outline those cops above them who are involved in the illegal drug trade. This continues in spite of the requirement to divulge assets to the authorities. There is also the well-known means of enhancing their purchasing power by receiving bribes and also collecting revenues from traffic offenders. In addition, there is moonlighting through the ownership of businesses and buses. And perhaps worse of all, a leading criminologist told me that many robberies are planned in police stations.

Inadequate salary

However, it appears that the society is also guilty of robbing the police of an adequate salary. In Jamaica, a British policeman with responsibility for crime is reportedly getting three times the salary of his boss. Nevertheless, under his watch, Jamaica's murder rate has climbed in spite of an unprecedented amount of money being spent in improving the capability of the investigating arm of the police force. It was under his watch that we had the celebrated incompetent and incomprehensible handling of the Bob Woolmer fiasco. It seems that former police officers who were in charge of crime who did a better job are owed a lot of money and others in the force now deserve more money.

It has been observed that parsons are fleecing members and their congregations of money. There are still too many parsons who are perceiving offerings as their own reward for their ministry in the church. Ecumenical councils should mandate congregations to audit their accounts and give at least annual reports to their congregations. Furthermore, there should be an oversight body to which congregations and para-church organisations have to submit their annual returns.

The third category that Notice highlighted was the politicians. Political parties are the most unregulated businesses in Jamaica. Last year, the JLP and the PNP were in receipt of billions of dollars and the population does not know from whence the money came nor the sums received nor the conditions under which the money was received. In addition, the election expenditure return forms do not give any indication of how the money was spent and politicians admitted in Parliament that traditionally, these returns were not an accurate reflection of expenses. This is done with the compliance of the private-sector gurus of this land. This does not happen in the United States of America or the United Kingdom. This is the place where the corruption starts and then it spreads to the award of contracts and other pork-barrel activities.