Crime oversight committee to re-engage the Opposition

The independent committee overseeing Jamaica's crime problem is to re-engage with the Opposition as it seeks to develop short-term measures aimed at tackling the country's crime problem.

Chairman of the Crime Monitoring Oversight Committee (CMOC) Lloyd Distant says the Opposition is an important stakeholder to the process.

Distant says a series of consultations have been held with key partners as the committee focuses on a broader new consensus on crime.

“We've now been having a series of meetings with Minister [of National Security Dr Horace Chang] and he is bringing a wider team to speak about what are the more specifics things, but coming out of what the minister is giving us as the new policies, the additional policies and things for us to measure, coming out of what his experts share in terms of short-term initiates, we will reengage the opposition," said Distant while giving an update on the work of the committee at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Downtown Kingston held today at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston.

The chairman said the committee has not yet arrived at what the short-term measures will be.

However, he pointed out that a new crime consensus was predicated on a sustained reduction in crime focusing on medium and long-term initiatives.

"Short-term things are not necessarily going to get you sustainable reduction, this a problem that is core, that is cultural, it is a part of our society," he said.

“We have had over the last three months other groups saying they want to sign on in supporting the consensus so I applaud Jamaica on that and we look forward to more people getting involved and to support this direction,” Distant said. 

Once there is an agreement in principle on the proposed targets, Distant said the committee will do another round of stakeholder groups sessions.

Further to that, he said it is hoped that by the end of October, the committee will have a summit for all the partners to sign off on the new crime consensus.

The independent committee – which comprises non-partisan stakeholders from the private sector, church, civil society, academia, and the political directorate – was established in 2020 amid a worrying level of crime, especially murders, to help transform the country into a safe, secure, investment-friendly and just society by addressing crime, violence and corruption.

- Tanesha Mundle

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.