http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070114/focus/focus2.html
Published: Sunday | January 14, 2007

'Search for Lyns leads to dump', The Observer, December 22, 2006.

'26 slain in four days', The Gleaner, January 5, 2007.

'7th violent attack on police so far this year', The Observer, January 8, 2007.

Jamaica is one of the most beautiful islands on the planet. Jamaicans are among the most exuberant people on Earth. By all rights, this should be one of the best places in the world to live. But can the people in a country with daily headlines such as those above be happy?

We probably have the highest murder rate of any country not officially at war. Homicides fell 20 per cent last year from 2005's world-record setting level. But, November and December saw a jump in violent deaths, and January so far looks worse. So it's doubtful the count will drop again this year. Especially if the government continues to merely spout platitudes.

But do the politicians really give a damn? Despite a 400 per cent increase in murders since 1989, this administration shows little interest in getting equipment and passing laws that have helped to cut murder count elsewhere. The Opposition JLP is almost as much to blame for its uselessness in holding the Government to account.

How could our forensic labs lie in shambles, as the January 7 Observer reported, without Opposition crime spokesman angrily bringing this to the nation's attention? But then this same Opposition said nothing while our ballistic and fingerprint testing facilities remained crippled for four years after being hit by a Y2K bug.

As to the Government, well it's clearly either unwilling or incapable of dealing properly with crime. The murder rate has risen inexorably from 400 to 600 to 800 to 1200 plus without even blindingly obvious steps - like fixing broken equipment - being taken to stop the slaughter. Hearing this PNP administration talk about getting murder under control is like listening to George Dubya Bush talk about winning in Iraq. No sane person pays attention to either.

Jamaicans feel helpless

Stuck between the Scylla of an incompetent government and the Charybdis of an ineffective opposition, Jamaicans feel increasingly helpless. One friend recently moaned to me that while he loved this country and what he was doing and couldn't conceive of living anywhere else, his wife had already got their papers and mentally packed her bags and was ready to go. He didn't know how much longer he could put her off. In fact, after the tragic murders of Dickie and Julia Lyn, he had only forestalled her ultimatum by taking her on a long drive down to the south coast. It worked. The sheer beauty of the journey tempered, at least for a while, her anger and fear. He laughed and cursed at the same time in frustration. How the hell had things come to such a pass?

It doesn't have to be this way. Yes, necessary long-term solutions like upgrading our police force, courts and schools will take many years. But, there are many medium and short-term measures that have significantly reduced crime elsewhere, which police on the ground strongly feel would do the same here.

up-to-date technology

First, we need to move into the 21st century with up-to-date forensic technology. Then, mandate the police to photograph, fingerprint and record the DNA of every person charged with a crime - Britain does so even for traffic offences. This would create a database against which evidence from crime scenes can be instantaneously tested. This should be supplemented with a comprehensive ballistics database of every licensed firearm, against which spent shells can be matched. At the same time, we must pass laws enabling law officers to obtain and use any of this evidence whenever deemed necessary.

DNA is a silent witness, which turns things such as stolen cars abandoned after drive-by shootings into troves of incriminating evidence. It would also help remedy one of the gravest problems facing our judicial system, the intimidation of potential witnesses. You can't scare off or kill DNA.

A comprehensive DNA database, proper technology and appropriate laws would certainly result in many more rape convictions. And obligatory DNA testing of every man suspected of having slept with a pregnant underage girl would nearly always put the guilty party behind bars. No longer could 'bad men' intimidate or buy off the girl and her parents. No longer could 'big Dons' molest and breed young girls at will.

But my God, right now we don't even have compulsory reporting of underage pregnancies or mandatory sentencing for carnal abuse! And we consider ourselves a civilised country? Those who hoped our first female Prime Minister would remedy such disgraces have been sorely disappointed.

A judge and a lawyer I know very well said DNA databases might lead to increased police abuse. It is a risk. But do we give police more power, or do we allow criminals to keep us cowering in fear indefinitely at the world's highest murder rate?

Tough times call for tough laws

A friend, who recently visited seemingly crime-free China, wonders if authoritarian measures such as maybe detention without trial or public executions would not also work here. My liberal democrat instincts reject such thoughts. Yet, I'm also a pragmatist. A country with the planet's worst homicide ratio can't afford to molly coddle criminals. Tough times call for tough laws.

When America's homicide rate reached a record level in 1980, it brought in mandatory sentencing, plea bargaining and 'three strikes you're out' laws - whereby a third conviction means a life sentence. It also built more prisons. Between 1990 and 2000 the U.S. penitentiary population doubled, and its murder rate halved. The economic benefits of a lower crime rate more than paid for the additional prisons.

In 1974, the U.S. and Jamaica had the same murder rate. Now ours is 10 times theirs. Why? Because their politicians had the guts and brains to do what every expert agrees is the most necessary step for cutting crime, taking repeat offenders out of circulation. Our officials just spouted rubbish.

good enough for Jamaica

Nothing makes me angrier than to hear people hold forth on how safe they feel in America and Britain, and then argue against implementing here the very laws which make those places safe. What are we, second class citizens whom criminals should be allowed to gun down as cattle are, while people in other nations walk around freely because they have good equipment and legislation? If DNA database testing and three strikes laws are good enough for Britain and America, well dammit, they're good enough for Jamaica.

My vox pops suggest that most Jamaicans would enthusiastically endorse such policies. In fact, most think them too mild. They want to bring back hanging and 'leggo Reneto' to shoot first and ask questions later.

No one is talking about giving people life for shoplifting. But, why should a man who has been convicted three times of felonies be let back out to terrorise, rob, injure, rape or murder law abiding citizens? Even habitual petty offenders should at some point be put away. It's crazy for police to waste time arresting the same person say 10 times when they could be out solving or preventing murders.

None of this is rocket science or anti-human rights. It's simply implementing what has worked in countries we admire. As to costs, the question is, how can we not afford to do these things. Every businessman I know agrees that if crime is cut, this country will boom. Anyway, those US$40 million Sandals Whitehouse overruns could have bought the best equipment and built all the prisons we need. It's not money that's lacking, but political will.

Jamaicans are sick and tired of pretty words. Political hugs and kisses won't reduce murder. But, good laws and good equipment will. Is that too much to ask from our lawmakers?