Orville Higgins | Use sports as a tool against crime

The high levels of violence in Jamaica has made me paranoid. It have got to the stage where just going out at night is ­becoming harder.

Many of us have become reclusive home bodies. People you know are dying by the gun almost weekly. You cannot help wondering if one day, you too, will end up on the wrong side of a bullet.

Crime can no longer be seen as the job of the government and, by extension, the police. We all have a vested interest in seeing it go away.

My suggestion from my little corner is to make a dramatic step to help use sports as some kind of social tool to lessen crime. I would advise the powers that be to go on a massive programme to use sports programmes and sports institutions to try to alleviate crime.

My premise is simple. I strongly believe that social norms inherent in the world of sports, e.g. fair play and team spirit, might foster pro-social behavioural patterns and help reduce aggressiveness among our delinquent juveniles. It is my belief that the biggest reason why young men commit heinous criminal acts in Jamaica is their inability to control their anger, and I cannot think of too many human endeavours ahead of sports that teach people how to function around people while controlling their anger.

So every Member of Parliament should ensure that there is a ­constant stream of corner league football and cricket and basketball competitions in their constituency. The more the merrier. As one ends, another one begins.

The Government should buy the balls, get the jerseys, pay for the officials and the upkeep, or creation, of small venues for this very purpose. The State should provide cash incentives to winning teams and outstanding players. And for those who are not sprightly enough to play, the State should organise and sponsor more domino competitions. Throw in ludo and draughts and chess too!

GIVE THEM A CHANCE

Give the youth all over the country, especially in the inner cities a chance to be looking forward to matching their skills against others. It may help to stop them killing off each other. It might be expensive. So what?! Somebody once said that if you think education is expensive, try ignorance!

Not doing something like this may cost us more in the long run. What is the cumulative cost effect of multiple daily deaths? If this helps fewer people being slaughtered, then it would be worth it. The State pays millions to fund the state of emergencies. It is still debatable to what extent those are working. We need to try other things even if we are also doing some of the things we are doing. Trying to use sports on this massive scale to help curb crime is a desperate measure, but we are in desperate times.

Sports has the potential to assist with skill development and social integration, giving young people a sense of belonging. A youngster who feels important and appreciated by a community is less likely to lead a life of crime.

It may be a far stretch to use sports in this exaggerated way to curb arguably the nation’s biggest problem, but what do we have to lose? We have tried everything else, and to a large extent, everything has failed. Barring divine interventions, sports may be the answer.