Letter of the Day | Weh dem call police fah?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

With the declaration of the most recent states of emergency (SOEs), many Jamaicans are echoing lines from Vybz Kartel’s ode to Sweet Life: “Weh dem call police fah? Dem cyan stop the crime!” This as life in sweet sweet Jamaica continues to be marred by violence. These words, however, in my mind, marks a coming of age for most of the Jamaican populace.

Jamaicans should have now, in part, realised that the dynamism required to solve the country’s crime problem extends beyond the security forces. With broken social structures and practices, coupled with a justice system under construction, the security forces’ enforcement and operations are but sandwiched in a life of crime continuum. As one creates the offenders before they get to the police, the other sets them free again.

The security forces, over the past few years, have gradually operationalised several elements from my fellow armchair criminologist’s panacean crime plan. From improving technologies, investigative capacities and facilities, to increased recruitment and specialised operations, even the restructuring and retooling of the force have been executed. What about the public image of the force you ask? The Jamaica Constabulary Force in particular has undertaken what is thus far one of Jamaica’s most successful rebranding exercises featuring, and not limited to, arguably the best government social media brand currently.

Notwithstanding, people are still hesitant to give the devil his due for doing its due. Instead, we mimic the one who judges the monkey’s ability to fly and the fish’s ability to climb, instead of judging them for what they were actually created for. As the numbers suggest, 2022 was a landmark year for the security forces, with the most guns taken off the street, record drug busts and, yes, reductions in crime whenever we empower them with an SOE.

As is quite visible for even the blind, greater efforts must be placed in social development and justice as the security forces continue to improve. There is no place for pseudosocial work, or workers. Pretentious parliamentarians and their blockades of bills to reform the justice system and empower the forces must be removed. These are the necessary actions if, and only if, we truly and genuinely want to see our “Jamaica, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity”.

WADE BROWN

Vice-President

Young Jamaica