Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 15 February 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
Jamaica is faced with a spike in Covid-19 cases, more road deaths and, in the words of PSOJ President Keith Duncan, “an epidemic of violence”. When a busload of people is warned by police to put on masks, and as soon as he turns his back they remove them and consider it a joke, clearly they do not value their own lives. The same applies to the total lack of regard for the road code mostly by taxi drivers and motorcyclists. The Commissioner of Police noted that contract killings are on the rise because killers are charging less.
We can understand that some teachers and parents are fearful about keeping schools open and re-opening others, but with the breakdown in households, schools are not only places of learning but also places of protection. That advertisement depicting a girl child in fear of an older male relative is a sad reality for too many.
Statistics show that more than 50 percent of unattached youth in the 16-24 age group is affected by crime, and more than 70 percent of crimes are committed by that group. To address this issue, the government has created the HOPE Programme so participants can learn, earn and save. There is also the Jamaica National Service Corps, a one-year training programme for 26,000 youths conducted by the JDF, at the end of which some participants are accepted into the Force.
In a JIS report by Latonya Linton earlier this month, Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, told Parliament that the Government has launched the ‘Plan Secure Jamaica’ initiative. He noted that it is “the most coordinated, inclusive and enduring security programme that has ever been introduced in Jamaica. It is geared towards creating a safe, secure, cohesive and just society.”
He described main aspects of the programme: “strengthening the national security architecture; strengthening the criminal justice system; enhancing youth and community development; protecting and securing borders, maritime space and key sectors of the economy; strengthening national integrity systems; and increasing and sustaining public support for law enforcement and public order.”
The cost of the programme is estimated at $176 billion over seven years. Dr Chang said his was “the first Government to put in place such a robust security plan, with the necessary institutional arrangements to ensure a sustainable, whole-of-government approach to the social investment and social transformation component of crime-fighting.”
He said the country can look forward to the new Firearms Act, amendments to the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act (the ‘anti-gang’ legislation), and regulations for the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency.
The Crime Monitoring Oversight Committee (C-MOC) comprising representatives of both political parties, the Private Sector, Civil Society and the Churches has established a timetable to monitor the implementation of national security measures. EPOC has helped to keep our economy on track; we are hoping the same for C-MOC.
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