'We have to do better next year'
Published:Thursday | December 30, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Ellington not satisfied with 15% murder-rate reduction
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
Police Commissioner Owen Ellington is less than impressed with the 15 per cent reduction in murders recorded this year.
"We have to do better next year. We are not satisfied with 15 per cent down," Ellington told journalists yesterday.
The commissioner and the members of the force have been applauded for the measures that have led to a notable reduction in the number of murders.
Latest figures show that up to December 26, the murder figure stood at 1,409. This was 244 fewer lives snuffed out when compared with the corresponding period last year.
However, the commissioner is not adding his applause to those that have come in.
"We have to bring the murder rate in Jamaica in line with that of Costa Rica to begin to see GDP (gross domestic product) growth of seven per cent per year," added Ellington.
He said the target was to move the murder rate from its present level of approximately 52 per 100,000 members of the population to a situation as exists in the Central American country where eight murders are recorded per 100,000.
New national policies
Ellington said the police are hoping to achieve this reduction in fewer than 10 years.
He told journalists that the heads of the 19 police divisions have been given specific crime-reduction targets that will be combined with an overall national policy.
"We are developing national strategies from all the major policing challenges - the gangs, extortion, praedial larceny, traffic, visitor security and all of those issues," said Ellington.
A reflection of ja's reality
Latest official figures show that 14 of the 19 police divisions have so far recorded lower murder figures when compared with last year.
Most other major crimes - rapes, shootings and robberies - were also down.
There was a slight (six per cent) increase in the number of reported carnal-abuse cases while fatal shootings by the police increased dramatically (30 per cent).
That is a cause for concern for Ellington, but he believes it reflects the reality facing Jamaica.
"Any loss of life through violent means is regrettable. Unfortunately, in Jamaica, law enforcement is confronted by violent criminals - organised criminal gangs - and we have to defend ourselves when we come under attack," the commissioner said.
According to Ellington: "What the ideal situation would be is for a significant reduction in criminal violence. That is, criminals stop attacking our citizens and our policemen, then you would see an overall drop in violence."
He argued that members of the police force "have no desire, no interest to serve in going out there and deploying violence on civilians".