Letters to the Editor

Friday, July 07, 2017

Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Observer editorial of July 5, 2017, headlined 'The culture of silence must be broken', is spot on, frankly speaking. Jamaica currently has very serious crime, murder, extortion, scamming, and drug trafficking problems, and it is prime time that the citizens of this country recognise the seriousness of the situation and commence reporting to the police pertinent information that they may have on criminal activities occurring within their vicinity and in the communities that they reside in.

We Jamaicans have to understand the importance of working with the police to systematically reduce the country's overall crime and deadly murder rate, which is having a monumental negative effect on the economy and all sections of industry.

The Observer editorial also stated, “In the context of debate on the recently passed Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Bill and the need to protect human rights, we've made note of the promise by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to provide additional resources to the security forces for the purpose of social intervention programmes.

“It is also worth highlighting the fact that the prime minister will be empowered by the legislation to declare any geographically defined area as 'a zone of special operations', within which the security forces, upon reasonable suspicion, may search a person, vehicle or property without a warrant.”

However, I am not at all comfortable with the provision within the Bill which would allow the police and army to search without warrant in a declared zone of special operations upon reasonable suspicion. Residents within the 'zones' so declared could also be detained for an indefinite period of time. In a democratic country such as ours, governed by a constitution that secures certain rights to privacy and security, this provision is unjustified, dangerous and reckless. This provision is similar to that which exists under a declared state of emergency and should never have been included in the Bill.

I am somewhat disappointed that the Observer editorial did not make mention of the fact that this specific provision is wrong and opens the door widely for police abuse, corruption, and State terrorism. It is dangerous for such powers of arrest and search to be so loosely given.

The Constabulary Force Act already has enough powers therein to allow the police force to meticulously and methodically address, tackle and reduce the country's serious crime problems. Giving the police and army more powers and authority will not effectively reduce the crime rate. Look what took place in Tivoli Gardens during that poorly executed limited state of emergency, and until now no one has been compensated.

Commissioner Quallo has to be a more hands-on police chief who will travel around the country to be visible, listen to the citizens being affected by the high crime rate, and listen to the concerns and suggestions from officers serving throughout the force. I give my full support to the police chief.

I am also taking this opportunity to commend the officers assigned to the Major Organised and Anti-Corruption Agency, who have a very difficult job to carry out, including investigating serious islandwide organised crime.

Robert Dalley

St James

robertdalley1@hotmail.com