Build security system, solve crime problem
Published:Wednesday | June 2, 2010 | 12:00 AM
The Editor, Sir:
Recent events in Tivoli Gardens are troubling. Images of young women citing one man as "next to God" and committing to die for him were sad and very worrying.
The antecedent events are behind us, so there is room only to deal with a choice between the law and the benefit, between the social responsibility of the beneficiary and the moral authority of the benefactor. Our citizens are vulnerable to the carrot of patronage versus the stick of vengeance if they fail to "see, hear and speak no evil".
Citizens opt for the carrot of survival versus the stick of 'Babylon', group cohesion gives way to group-think and no one tells the police who did what, where, when, how. Group-think also drives to act on the shout of "see-im deh"; then after a dastardly act, a member of the mob asks: "wha 'im duh?" This could happen to you or me.
With the pervasive absence of social responsibility, how can we solve crimes? The court backlog of more than 400,000 is probably good news: where would we put those convicted? The cleared-up rate is probably even worse. Evildoing benefactors become empowered while citizens' acts of social responsibility are discouraged.
Many things need to change, but above all, our youth need opportunities to be competent, innovative and resourceful. These must become features of community conception, design, layout and establishment to reduce the rate of young persons falling into, or victims of crime through patronage.
The other problem is, we have never written nor executed a security plan (in my long recollection as someone past retirement age). Rather, we have consistently prepared crime plans. But tell me: does the Ministry of Education draft illiteracy plans, the Ministry of Health sickness plans or the Ministry of Finance poverty plans? No. Why then does the Ministry of National Security continue to prepare crime plans instead of security plans?
Crime is simply a resultant from failures in the security system. As a well-conceived programme of action, the security plan should (lay) security foundations, (organise for) crime prevention, (operate) law enforcement, (review for) restorative justice and (renew by) correction, rehabilitation (of the errant) and renewal (of the system).
The first stage is defective, which makes stage 2 impossible. The Police, operating at stage 3, therefore enter communities only with the 'influential leader's' permission, and then only to nab/hurt his enemies. They, our constabulary brothers, sisters, sons and daughters are being increasingly compromised, ostra-cised, victimised or made vicious. Poor guys. Poor us.
Security must rest upon solid foundations and its goals must be concordant with our other aspirations. Then the mind of every individual must respond appro-priately in the moment through morally honed dispositions.
Close attention to knowledge, morality and fellowship will enable our youth's capacity for innovation (not scheming), income-generation (not extortion), distinction (not discord), prominence (not notoriety) and beauty (not 'bling'). When someone says "mi want a food" we should, in addition to giving him the food, supplement that stated need with "mi want fi learn". This way, we prevent communities defaulting to influential expediency.
Do we believe dons empower themselves? Or do politicians empower them? No! They are empowered by those who see them as benefactors supreme. Politicians simply go along with tolerance, facilitation or enable-ment as it suits them so to do - in the electoral moment.
Sorry about the deaths in Tivoli, both civilian and security per-sonnel. Sorry about the road-blocks. Sorry about the root causes. Sorry about the state of Jamaica; yet we have a chance to start anew. But we must treat the past with reason, regard the present with meaning and pursue the future with (a sense of) purpose.
We need to strengthen the security foundations through community configuration, sociali-sation, consensus and security goals that build prosperity through effort and de-emphasise patronage.
C'mon, let's go! Addawize, wi fenneh!
I am etc.,
W. Scott
USA