Peter Espeut | Go after the big extortionists

The good news for me last week was the announcement by the police that they have arrested a number of men for extortion of private passenger vehicle (PPV) operators within the Corporate Area. It seems that police personnel from the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) in conjunction with the Transport Authority and the Island Traffic Authority have launched ‘Operation Transportation Streamline’ aimed at dealing with this scourge on the transportation sector and the travelling public.

In my 30-plus years writing this column I cannot recall any arrests for extortion of transport operators or business places in Kingston, Spanish Town or elsewhere, despite numerous and widespread complaints. In 2005, the government amended the Larceny Act adding new provisions specifically targeted at stemming the rise in extortion practices across the island, but that did not seem to make a difference. I must admit that I am very surprised at this development, which has profound implications!

The usual difficulty with prosecuting extortionists is that their demand for money is often couched as “protection money” – protection from personal harm or property damage. A threat such as “Pay me the money! If you report me to the police, I will either damage you or your vehicle” usually does the trick. And no one will come forward to make an official complaint.

It is my suspicion that these recent arrests are tied to the recent increases in bus and taxi fares granted by the Transport Authority. Transport operators will not much benefit from fare increases if extortionists simply increase their tariff. Clearly, there is now greater determination by transportation interests to bring an end to extortion in their sector, which has led to greater cooperation with the police and the Transport Authority. Reduction in extortion – or its elimination – will increase the real profits of bus and taxi owners and operators, and will ease the tensions on the road which can lead to dangerous and reckless driving. Let’s see how ‘Operation Transportation Streamline’ progresses. I wish the effort well!

DEVELOP SAME DETERMINATION

I also wish commercial proprietors would develop the same determination, but clearly they have much more to lose. Reporting extortionists can lead to arson at homes and businesses – and hundreds of millions of dollars in losses – and murders of businessmen and their families. What normally occurs is that shop owners simply treat extortion payments as a normal cost of operating a business in Jamaica. This makes things more expensive for all of us. Maybe we need the police intelligence services to launch an ‘Operation Business Prosperity Streamline’. Maybe I am too ambitious!

I hope that this anti-extortion push does not stop with netting the small fry. Extortion is big business, with gangs dividing transportation and commercial areas between them as turfs of exploitation. This is what “turf wars” are all about, as rival gangs battle over who gets to collect extortion money in which areas, which drives up Jamaica’s murder rate. The police have openly stated that before ‘Operation Transportation Streamline’, their main anti-extortion efforts were directed at dismantling the gangs which thrive on extortion, with some limited success. And so even though there were no arrests for extortion, the problem was being addressed.

Behind the dishevelled young men who make extortion demands on transport operators or business establishments are crime syndicates comprising armed enforcers, accountants, and Mr Bigs, which may be linked to political garrisons. It is time to reel in the big fish, all the way up the chain of command. If there is any serious commitment to dismantle political garrisons, and to break the link between politics and crime, the plea bargaining legislation should be used to encourage the small fry to name the bigger fish to whom they turn over the lion’s share of the extortion money.

If we had effective political campaign financing legislation in place in Jamaica, forensic accountants should be able to detect the illicit enrichment of political organisations which benefit from daily injections of extortion money. Until now, neither the Jamaica Labour Party nor the People’s National Party (nor Jamaica’s private sector) have supported transparency in political financing. This is why I am not a little surprised at the recent crackdown on extortion.

I must confess that even though I wish ‘Operation Transportation Streamline’ many successes, I don’t think it will get very far. Too many big people are involved.

OVERCHARGING

On a related note, I see that the police in conjunction with the Transport Authority have arrested dozens of public passenger vehicle operators for overcharging commuters. According to the Transport Authority, 165 complaints of overcharging on fares have been submitted to the Transport Authority’s newly established database, and up to Tuesday last, 145 had been resolved with 142 prosecutions, while the remaining complaints were under investigation. This is a remarkable success rate, and the Transport Authority and the police are to be congratulated. Again, the authorities are responding to complaints received from people who are prepared to sign statements. We need much more of that!

I must confess that I have not been very impressed with PSTEB. The number of motorcyclists I observe riding without helmets past police stations – and even past the police commissioner’s office – lead me to question their eyesight. Detecting motorcyclists riding without helmets does not require great sleuthing ability, or complex forensic analysis; it only requires a good pair of eyes, which the members of PSTEB seem to lack.

Maybe it is the Transport Authority which really deserves the credit for the extortion and overcharging arrests. Selah!

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com