The benefits of smashing the Tivoli crime conglomeration

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Even in the absence of empirical data, we are convinced that the dramatic drop in crime, especially murders, is a direct derivative of last year May's security operations in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston.

Readers are entitled to disagree with this conclusion, but we have seen nothing else to persuade us to believe otherwise.

We are among Jamaicans celebrating the 44 per cent drop in the number of murders committed over the first three months of 2011, as compared with the similar period last year, based on police statistics.

That represents a fall in murders from 426 in the first three months of 2010, to 238 murders in the first quarter of this year, or a total reduction of 188.

When the figures are further broken down across police divisions in the Corporate Area, we are seeing reductions well above 50 per cent, with some of the stand-out areas such as the St Andrew North Police Division - 78 per cent reduction in murders; the St Andrew South Division - 58 per cent decline; Kingston Central and Kingston Western - 60 per cent declines, and Kingston Eastern - 50 per cent reduction.

In addition, night life, particularly in Kingston, has begun to revive and the thickness of the fear that could be felt in the air, has begun to dissipate.

In hindsight, therefore, it would seem that previous attempts by the police at flushing out the criminals from Tivoli Gardens were justified, even if they were villified as being politically motivated.

We can also conclude that were those efforts successful, the estimated 73 fatalities suffered in 2010, might have been far less than say the 27 deaths when Mr Reneto Adams made his ill-fated attempt a decade ago.

We'll go further to suggest that the over 1,000 murders recorded in Jamaica over the years since 2001, might well have been much less.

And if the World Bank's 2011 Development Report is to be believed, we would have saved much of the $34 billion that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development says crime is costing us every year.

Jamaica has indeed paid a high price for crime, and Tivoli Gardens has provided haven for some of the most heinous criminals over the years. Now they have nowhere to hide and that is showing up in the falling crime figures.

How much of the credit that goes to Prime Minister Bruce Golding for this development is still up for deeper analysis. What is clear is that his decision to send the security forces into Tivoli Gardens in search of former strong-man Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, resulted, intentionally or not, in one of the best things to have happened to Jamaica since Independence.

But the point is not just to look back. Rather, it is to take stock of what we have lost to crime and to help us appreciate the relative calm that we are now enjoying.

The brave work of our security forces, some of whom lost their lives last year, and their continued work to keep our society safe, must be appropriately recognised and rewarded.

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COMMENTS (19)

T Lester
4/29/2011

You people need to stop blame TG for crime and violence because their is killings all over Jamaica since May until now. I am not convinced that crime is as low as projected because for a FACT shooting and killing is going on downtown and I haven't seen or heard it reported on the airwaves or in print so my conclusion is their is a cover up with these statistics so the nation would believe TG was the main source. Klansman gang is not from TG so what about the damages they did?

Tony Morgan
4/15/2011

Politicians created this mess so how come they want credit for it, the security forces are the one that should be credited along with the United States because if U.S. didn't put pressure on these politician it would be just business as usual in Jamaica and crime would be high as usual. The Army and police force needs to break away from these corrupted people that are preventing them from doing their lawful duties. Jamaica won't be better until politician start to go to prison for their act.

Stephen Fox
4/14/2011

I am left wondering when the crime syndicates in Trench Town, Rema, Spanish Town, and other places will be addressed. The PM was forced to call a state of emergency because the security of the country was threatened. Editor, not enough has been done and not enough will be done because the Parliamentarians owe their offices to the Narco underground. You only have to witness the cloudiness of political fund raising.

John Smith
4/14/2011

I've posted elsewhere that it's most suspicious that the crime rate dropped so drastically after 73 'civilians' died in Tivoli. Let's keep in mind, however, that appearances can be deceiving. What's needed is an in depth look at what caused the decrease in crime. We can't just live with statistics 'just so' we have to know the cause-effect relationship so tha we can actively continue the trend. If 40+M can be found to 'not recall' then money for such an important pursuit can be found as well.

John Smith
4/14/2011

Well said, Carlos King. Politicians should not be dictating to the police where they can enforce the law and where they cannot. Kweli Simba may want to do some 'deeper analysis' before making unfounded statements. The Editor is growing a pair! Don't reach puberty yet but continue like this and you'll be mature in no time, Observer! Deeper analysis is needed into WHY the crime rate has dropped. We cannot settle for conjecture. We need hard facts. Social scientists need to look into this.

clifton johnson
4/14/2011

Am i reading the observer ? I didn't think so untill the editor tried to in some way give credit to the PM and i came back to reality . Tivoli has always been the safe haven for the criminal underworld . For the JLP to take any credit for the reduction in murders would be a slap in the face of the police force and civil society who begged them to extradite Coke . POWER TO THE PEOPLE !! Clansman and One Order is next .

Brad Kerr
4/14/2011

I see the Observer has finally taken off it's green goggles. This article is on point and I find myself agreeing with it. All we can do is hope that we do not regress back to the point of 1000 murders and deep devisions based on one's politics. Hindsight is 20/20 and the PM may have unintentionally broken the back of crime. Cudos to him..The saying is if Bruce can assault TIVOLI the criminals are not safe anywhere. And so it should be! Keep it up PM

carlos king
4/14/2011

Dear Mr. Editor, I am sure the PM deserves credit for many things that happen in Jamaica, some good things and some bad things but the reduction of murder and crime and violence - lawlessness in general is not one of them. The PM has no authority to order the police. Ordering the security forces to enter an area falls under OPERATIONS and that is the perogative of the Commission of Police. It is Civil Society-the Jamaican people- that deserve the credit not politicians or police officers.

Noel Richards
4/14/2011

Much of what is stated here is accurate, but you must dig deeper. While the decline in citizen on citizen crime is welcome, it is not the result of a solution to the cause, it is a patch of one symptom. Note that the US Gov is more concerned with drug running and will not strongly criticize the GOJ for human rights violations due to expediency. Jamaicans will not thrive within an oppressive Police State and should make themselves aware of the experiences of El Salvador and others.

mala prop
4/14/2011

I hope SSP Reneto Adams does not believe he has psychic abilities after reading this editorial. We all (media, civil society, PSOPJ, J.L.P., P.N.P.) knew that when he said Jamaica would live to regret what happened in TG that it was true, but we were so anxious to get the PNP out of office that we could care less.
I wouldn’t be surprised though if Mr. Adams and to a lesser extent, Mr. Lewin bought many copies of the Observer today, both as a collector’s item and to send to their friends,

Pierre Buckley
4/14/2011

I really enjoyed this article. Now this is real journalism. An analysis and report on the facts without biased opinion.

Obi Wan
4/14/2011

The depressive effects of crime on the economy puts Jamaica into a death spiral where the likely end state is Somalia, a failed state, with warlords controlling important sectors of the country, leaving the government weak and ineffectual. Tivoli was a great first step to break this spiral. But what about the others? The job will not be done until crime rates are more like Costa Rica.

ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID
4/14/2011

Mr.Editor,I have read your commentary in earnest and I categorically concur,that the radical decrease in murders,is inextricably linked to the evisceration and disembowelment of the Tivoli crime conglomeration.Hopefully,at some point in the near future, the crime syndicates,specifically,in Spanish Town and St James will also be dismantled and the entire island will be able to realize the benefits in terms of a further radical decrease in the number of murders committed each year.

Kweli Simba
4/14/2011

The suggestion is that Tivoli was the gates of the criminal empire in Jamaica. I however will suggest that the drop in crime is a result of the diligence of the govt. and the security force in stepping up the pace of crime fighting. The incursion into Tvoli and the subsequent capture of Coke might have caused other criminals to take a lower profile fearing the wrath that the Tivolites had to endure. But to even imply that Dudus had mastery over the Island's criminal machinery is unfounded.

St. Ann
4/14/2011

Very bold and surprising editorial, but I agree.

Ghengis Khan
4/14/2011

I agree with many of the points outlined in this editorial and also with George Watson's comments. However, I am wondering how "deeper analysis" could determine how much credit goes to the PM for this years drop in murders. The question that should be asked is how much he and his predecessor as MP for the area contributed to the slaughter of thousands of innocents by condoning the state of affairs in the "Mother of all Garrisons".

Trevor Harris
4/14/2011

I must applaud the Observer,a known JLP apologist for coming to it's senses and admitting what is abundantly clear ; and that is that the events of last may has been a major factor in the reduction of crime.When taken to it's logical conclusion it can be assumed that Dudus had a major role to play in the criminal activities across the island.I was told, that this man had a wide network in every crevice and corner, he supplied everything from guns to cars to his cronies.Thank God the US

george watson
4/14/2011

What is happening here? The Observer goes further “In hindsight, therefore, it would seem that previous attempts by the police at flushing out the criminals from Tivoli Gardens were justified, even if they were vilified as being politically motivated.
“We can also conclude that were those efforts successful, the estimated 73 fatalities suffered in 2010, might have been far less than say the 27 deaths when Mr. Reneto Adams made his ill-fated attempt a decade ago.”
I might soon start buying the Observer again. This newspaper is showing some fairness at last.

george watson
4/14/2011

I never knew in a hundred years that an Observer editorial would acknowledge that the drop in the murder rate was due to the dismantling of a criminal empire. Although to be fair this newspaper was in the forefront of those demanding Mr. Coke’s extradition. Despite this obvious evidence apologists for the JLP have been saying that the drop is because of government initiative.
No way could the police have made these gains competing against the power of Mr. Coke and his crones. And the government fought tooth and nail against this extradition.
All is left now is for the wipe out of the Clansman and One Order gangs one way or the other.

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The benefits of smashing the Tivoli crime conglomeration