EDITORIAL - Take advantage of Jamaicans' support for law and order

The cynics will, perhaps, snicker at this. But more than most others in Latin America and the Caribbean, Jamaicans support law and order.

A recent survey of people's attitudes to democracy in the hemisphere found that 70 per cent of Jamaicans believe that the law should always be upheld.

That figure was a decline from the more than 86 per cent in 2008. It, however, represented the second-strongest support for law and order in the 25 countries surveyed. Only Belize (78.4 per cent) was better.

Against the backdrop of these numbers, it is easy to appreciate that Jamaicans welcome the 44 per cent drop in murders during the first three months of this year, after a 15 per cent decline for all of 2010. Overall, reported crime was down 13 per cent during this year's first quarter.

For this, the Jamaica Constabulary Force and its leader, Mr Owen Ellington, deserve commendation. They grabbed the opportunity fortuitously provided when Christopher Coke's armed irregulars attempted to prevent his capture and extradition to the United States and challenged the Jamaican State.

The defeat of Coke's militia and the 'liberation' of his west Kingston redoubt of Tivoli Gardens - a ruling-party enclave - injected confidence into the constabulary to go after gangs and organised criminals elsewhere in Jamaica.

Murders still alarming

But murders even with that dramatic reduction in crime and people's instinctive dislike of criminality, Jamaica still faces a major problem. A 44 per cent drop in homicides still left 238 murders. And with last year's decline, there were still more than 1,400 murders, for a homicide rate of 55 per 100,000, one of the world's highest.

That high crime rate is one of things that, unfortunately, defines Jamaica. It distracts from the country's performance in other areas and crimps the economy. It is estimated that the effects of crime swipe up to seven per cent of output annually.

Fixing this problem must be a national priority. It insists upon a national buy-in. Leadership, however, must start at the institutional level.

It is significant that despite overwhelming support of Jamaicans for law and order, few appear willing to throw themselves into a fight against criminality. Reason: distrust for the institutions charged with enforcing the law and dispensing justice.

Rebuilding trust

Indeed, on a 100-point scale, support for the constabulary in the survey was 32.6, down nearly 10 points from two years earlier. The constabulary's trust deficit, despite some improvements in its behaviour and outcomes, is largely because of its paramilitary approach to its job.

Of course, the police in Jamaica operate in difficult and dangerous circumstances. But 320 police homicides in 2010, and the seeming ineffectiveness of civilian oversight, are bound to raise eyebrows. These disturbing statistics demand explanation and rigorous investigation.

Indeed, being tough on gangs and their criminality should not be at odds with community-based policing that is respectful of human rights. It was promised by Mr Ellington.

While Mr Ellington reforms the constabulary, the administration must move aggressively to unclog the justice society to ensure timely and fair justice for all. After all, trust in the justice system, on the scale referred to, was 45.7, down from 51 two years earlier.

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