Editorial | Community involvement critical for peace process

This was, perhaps, waiting to happen. The community of August Town did not record a single murder in 2016, and this was cause for celebration. Perhaps there was some complacency in the months ahead – and a little naivety as well. However, from the start, it was clear that the peace was fragile, for the guns that terrorised the community in previous years were still in August Town. The slippage in peace was, therefore, predictable.

One of the glaring weaknesses in Jamaica’s crime-fighting strategy has been the inability to disarm gangsters and rid communities of them and their guns. It seems that no mechanism has been developed by the security forces to negotiate the surrender of the weapons as part of any peace initiative. But it may be imprudent to think that there can be lasting peace if persons with criminal intent remain armed and dangerous.

It was only a matter of time before the criminals flexed their muscles and returned to their ways. They are flexing their muscles now, and in the process, lives are being lost, families are being torn apart, and they are scaring the daylights out of children and adults alike.

From all accounts, while there was peace in August Town, the gangs went underground, but they were quietly reorganising, and the police have confirmed that the gangs have multiplied. Sadly, August Town is not unique. There is every indication that whenever there is a lull in violence, it is temporary, and it only takes a tiny spark to blow the lid off this artificial peace in the inner-city communities. The by-product of this violence is the emotional strain on children and their parents. The case was convincingly argued in this newspaper by nervous parents and teachers.

The lesson to be learnt from August Town and other affected communities is that there needs to be a multipronged approach to dealing with gangs. The dangers posed by these gangs compel security forces to look afresh at how to disrupt their activities, put them out of business, and keep communities safe.

DEEPLY ENTRENCHED

With violence so deeply entrenched in many inner-city communities, persons living in the shadows of gangster tyranny have almost come to accept this as their way of life, from which there is no reprieve, but surely, they deserve better.

A great deal of bitter history has been created in these communities, where senseless acts of violence and reprisals have ended up taking the lives of loved ones. Children cower in fear and witness violence almost on a daily basis. Seven deaths in August Town this year is an extreme reminder that we should never take peace for granted. The communities deserve better economic and social opportunities, but their residents also deserve to live in an environment where there is respect for the rule of law.

Perhaps as we contemplate life after the debilitating coronavirus pandemic, there will be concerted efforts that will motivate citizens to support the police in greater measure by telling what they know. Each life taken away is devastating for the family and community members. By telling what you know, you may save a family from grief, or you may help a child to come out of poverty by being given a chance to get educated.

We recognise that it is no easy task to police the tough streets in the face of the growing brazenness of criminals. The use of technology and new gadgets aids the processes, but successful policing begins with cooperation between community members and the law-enforcement agencies.