Cleaning the Augean stables

My attention has been drawn by a reader to an article in the online service of a British newspaper, the Mail Online, titled 'Life and death in the police state of Jamaica: The scandal of the officers who double as state executioners'. The author is Jonathan Green, and it was published on the February 5.

The article does not tell us anything we do not already know. "Kingston's neighbour-hoods, or 'garrisons', are controlled by 'dons', who enjoy patronage from politicians in return for getting the vote out," Green writes. He was adventurous. He went into an inner-city community and met with its don who he calls Andy: "'You are safer here than in a middle-class neighbourhood,' Andy says, with a sly smile. 'We used to have M16s, but they jammed all the time, so now we use AK-47s.'

"After a moment, he adds, 'When you do good work in the community, people will kill for you or die for you.'

"Violence could be triggered at any time. Andy is particularly worried about the police. 'The don from the other area has the police in his back pocket,' he declares. 'It's a time bomb here. We are walking dead.'

"He makes it clear that while some violence in Kingston is related to drugs and other criminal enterprises, it evolved from politicians arming communities loyal to them against other neighbourhoods."

The dons know which politicians have armed which of their thugs. That is really what we need a commission of enquiry to expose!

Of course, the Govern-ment has also armed members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force, and sent them out to deal with the armed criminals. In this so-called Black History Month, that is what we need to take note of: black politicians arming black thugs and black policemen to kill off each other. Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world and one of the highest rates of police killings in the world.

The Mail Online article continues: "The UN special rapporteur on torture was called in to investigate early last year. In a scathing report, he wrote, "... The rise in fatal shootings by the police, which are often alleged to amount to extrajudicial killings, as well as the apparent lack of investigation and accountability, is of great concern." He added that although legal executions no longer take place in Jamaica, many insist these have been "replaced by extrajudicial executions carried out by the police taking the law into their own hands".

The police do not act alone; they operate as agents of the State; they kill in the name of the State. They also kill in the name of the powerful Jamaican elite.

He interviewed Mark Shields, former deputy commissioner of police in charge of anti-crime operations. Shields is quoted as saying: "'Rational, university-educated people are advocating desperate measures which they think are acceptable. They say if a few innocent people get killed, 'Well, that's what happens."' It is these same private-sector elites who fund the politicians who arm the thugs; it is their money which turns around and creates an insecure environment for private business. When are they ever going to learn?

Cleaning out corruption

Green also interviewed Justin Felice, at the time assistant commissioner of police and head of the Anti-Corruption Branch. Green writes: "Felice says that while the police must be held accountable, the root causes of the problems on the streets need to be addressed too." He quotes ACP Felice as saying: "'We need an anti-corruption czar here. The JCF is cleaning out corruption, but what are the politicians doing? We need integrity among politicians here too.'"

Indeed, we do!

There is corruption among politicians, corruption in the police force and corruption in the private sector. How are we going to exorcise it?

An efficient intelligence-gathering entity - properly staffed and equipped - could gather very useful information in this direction. Local people will be needed, but since so many here are compromised, many experts will have to be drawn from outside. Since policemen and politicians may be implicated, it will have to operate in profound secrecy - maybe even without the knowledge of the Cabinet! What you don't want to do is to forewarn the guilty to guard their words and their movements - and their henchmen.

Once the incriminating evidence has been collected, it must be put in the hands of a jurisdiction that will prosecute, no matter how wealthy and powerful the culprit. Tapes containing compromising conversations placed into corrupt hands may never end up in a courtroom.

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and a Roman Catholic deacon.