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National ID System needed
Monday, September 24, 2007
Yesterday's controversial shootings in which Clarendon police allegedly shot a girl and a man, underscored our view in yesterday's editorial that the promised independent authority to investigate the abuse of citizens by the security forces cannot come too soon.
That 229 Jamaicans were killed by the police last year and another 155 so far this year, starkly sums up the extent of the crisis: Far too many tragedies are resulting from police and the citizens being caught up in open conflict; That the stories given by police and citizens frequently conflict emphasises the need for independent investigators.
Yet even as we move to deal with police abuse and the violation of basic human rights, it is imperative that we deal with the problem that has brought us to this pass.
For if we are going to be honest with ourselves, we must recognise that trained police personnel don't become trigger happy and abusive simply because they are wicked.
We believe that fear is the root cause for much of the unprofessionalism that manifests itself in abuse and heavy handedness on their part. That fear flows from the kind of terrorist criminal behaviour that has gripped this country for much too long. For as we said yesterday, the security forces "are often confronted by brazen, heartless criminals who will not think twice about engaging the police".
Indeed, in many of our communities the security forces are left with no choice but to believe they are in a war zone. Lest we forget 13 police men have been killed in Jamaica since the start of the year. Ten were murdered last year. Our security forces are operating in a society in which criminals took 968 lives between the start of the year and the end of August. That's compared to 845 for the same period last year. All indications are that at year's end, the murder figure will far exceed that of 2006 when there was an encouraging 20 per cent dip from 2005.
What it all means is that Jamaica remains one of the world's murder capitals. And it means - as we have consistently said in this space - that crime is the nation's number one problem that must be dealt with as a matter of the greatest urgency.
The JLP has laid out a range of plans for proactive social interventions in troubled communities and for action against criminals - many of them very similar to ideas which were already being pursued by the previous administration. One intriguing proposal by the JLP which has been tentatively on the table for years is for a "National Identification System" to improve police surveillance and detection capabilities.
It is a proposal with which, we suspect, human rights activists may well take issue. But to the extent that a National Identification System will allow for the speedy corralling of those who terrorise this society, we are all for it.
Jamaicans are looking to the new government to show the strength of political will all too often lacking in the past to provide the resources necessary to implement the many and varied plans, including a National Identification System.
In the end, bringing the terrorist criminals to boot will alleviate many of the problems now haunting this society - not least that of police abuse.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Yesterday's controversial shootings in which Clarendon police allegedly shot a girl and a man, underscored our view in yesterday's editorial that the promised independent authority to investigate the abuse of citizens by the security forces cannot come too soon.
That 229 Jamaicans were killed by the police last year and another 155 so far this year, starkly sums up the extent of the crisis: Far too many tragedies are resulting from police and the citizens being caught up in open conflict; That the stories given by police and citizens frequently conflict emphasises the need for independent investigators.
Yet even as we move to deal with police abuse and the violation of basic human rights, it is imperative that we deal with the problem that has brought us to this pass.
For if we are going to be honest with ourselves, we must recognise that trained police personnel don't become trigger happy and abusive simply because they are wicked.
We believe that fear is the root cause for much of the unprofessionalism that manifests itself in abuse and heavy handedness on their part. That fear flows from the kind of terrorist criminal behaviour that has gripped this country for much too long. For as we said yesterday, the security forces "are often confronted by brazen, heartless criminals who will not think twice about engaging the police".
Indeed, in many of our communities the security forces are left with no choice but to believe they are in a war zone. Lest we forget 13 police men have been killed in Jamaica since the start of the year. Ten were murdered last year. Our security forces are operating in a society in which criminals took 968 lives between the start of the year and the end of August. That's compared to 845 for the same period last year. All indications are that at year's end, the murder figure will far exceed that of 2006 when there was an encouraging 20 per cent dip from 2005.
What it all means is that Jamaica remains one of the world's murder capitals. And it means - as we have consistently said in this space - that crime is the nation's number one problem that must be dealt with as a matter of the greatest urgency.
The JLP has laid out a range of plans for proactive social interventions in troubled communities and for action against criminals - many of them very similar to ideas which were already being pursued by the previous administration. One intriguing proposal by the JLP which has been tentatively on the table for years is for a "National Identification System" to improve police surveillance and detection capabilities.
It is a proposal with which, we suspect, human rights activists may well take issue. But to the extent that a National Identification System will allow for the speedy corralling of those who terrorise this society, we are all for it.
Jamaicans are looking to the new government to show the strength of political will all too often lacking in the past to provide the resources necessary to implement the many and varied plans, including a National Identification System.
In the end, bringing the terrorist criminals to boot will alleviate many of the problems now haunting this society - not least that of police abuse.