The Editor, Sir:

As I read all these articles about Jamaica's crime situation and the responses of Commissioner Lewin and the Minister MacMillan, I have come to the conclusion that, as a country, when it comes to national security we are ideologically bankrupt. We aren't being offered any real solution and the Minister and his Commissioner have no real plans but they keep regurgitating the same old empty rhetoric.

Constantly reacting

The security force are not acting but constantly reacting and that needs to change. We need a super intelligence unit that can utilise programmes to offer real criminal analysis so as to make logical decisions to solve our ever mounting crime problems. We need a special force like Britain's SAS, LA's SWAT or Germany's GSG9, that will send fear down the spines of the heartless criminals; and we must not allow this force to become marginalised like the JDF or Kingfish.

Given that a large number of the criminal activities in Jamaica are committed by deportees or influenced by the American criminal lifestyle, why aren't we sending more Jamaican law enforcement officers on exchange programmes in America? Why aren't we recruiting qualified Jamaicans from different law enforcement fields in America? They would bring expertise on the criminal culture while retaining an understanding of Jamaica and the West Indian psyche.

I am, etc,

SHERMAN ESCOFFERY

Bullyinc@gmail.com

Kingston 20

Via Go-Jamaica