The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) statistics show that for the first seven months of 2007 the number of homicides grew by 14.5 per cent to 968.

So crippling is the cost of crime on the economy - placed as high as US$850 million ($59.5 billion) by some estimates - Jamaican business leaders would be willing to forego educational spend in the near term to deal with the issue of crime now.

At a recent luncheon hosted by Jamaica Observer chairman, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, at the newspaper's Beechwood Avenue headquarters, the issue was at the forefront of disussions.

"The greatest return we can have on our investment is to solve crime and the next one is education," declared Life of Jamaica (LOJ) president, Richard Byles.

Escalating security cost, depressed consumer activity and lack of productivity are just some of the adverse impacts that crime has on businesses, and there are many reports which emphasise the detrimental impact it has on the overall economy.

Based on 2001 figures, the World Bank placed the cost of crime to the Jamaican economy at $12.4 billion or 3.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the time, which represents only a fraction of what other studies, according to US ambassador to Jamaica, Brenda LaGrange Johnson, have shown.

Those, she said, over a year ago, estimated the impact at close to twice as much, placing the cost at US$850 million ($59.5 billion), or about a seven per cent reduction in GDP.
Chairman of Mayberry Investments, Chris Berry, agreed with Byles, and even went further by suggesting that dealing with the crime issue should be prioritised over education since it will have an immediate effect.

"Investment in reduction of crime is important; we have to look on crime as a return on investment scenario, it will affect us in so many ways," said Berry. "Yes, we have to invest in education but we have to realise that's not a short or medium term (option), it's going to take a time before we see results."

The executives' point that there will be a major boost to economic growth by effectively fighting crime, was strongly supported by a joint report by the United Nations and the World Bank. According to the March 2007 report, called Crime, violence and development: trends, cost and policy options in the Caribbean, Jamaica could increase its economic growth per capita by 5.4 per cent if it were to bring its homicide rate down to the level of regional neighbour, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica's homicide rate at 8.1 per 100,000 person, is better than the worldwide average of nine, according to the report. Jamaica's homicide rate was approximately 51 per 100,000, based on the 1,340 murders in 2006, albeit, lower than the 61 murders per 100,000 based on the near 1,600 persons that were killed in 2005.

But Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) statistics show that for the first seven months of 2007 the number of homicides grew by 14.5 per cent to 968, a growth rate that would put Jamaica's homicide rate at 56 per 100,000 by the end of the year.

By Michael Archer's account, the problem of extortion has declined "significantly", but the president of Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ), believes that the high security cost to combat the problem is still too burdensome for the companies and their bottom lines.

"Right now the whole issue of extortion has waned somewhat," revealed Archer in an interview with the Business Observer. "Where there are significant problems now is the security as it relates to pilferage and disruptions, especially in the volatile areas where the inner-city projects are going on.

"Right now, when you do a road work project you have to literally have the police on hand," continued Archer. "Sometimes it is as expensive as paying the area leader; although it's an expensive proposition, we have to deal with the formal means of security."

Archer estimates security costs to be as much as five per cent of the value of construction contracts, which he said is much higher than the rest of the Caribbean.

"It's a significant cost," declared Archer. "Compared to where I used to work in the Eastern Caribbean, where security cost is less than one per cent, it's five or six times that here in Jamaica."

President of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association, Omar Azan, said that the cost of security is an unwelcomed addition to the problems already faced by that industry which has been battered by high fuel cost and stifling bureaucracy.
"Crime is definitely a big issue for the productive sector," Azan told this newspaper. "It hampers investment coming into Jamaica (and) it hampers our staff members, who live in inner cities that have issues within their communities, being able to come to work.

"It also stagnates the economy because people are afraid to go shopping in certain areas," continued Azan. "So business people operating in certain volatile communities tend to have an issue with their business places not being able to turnover what they should be turning over if there was no crime in place."

Though Jamaica has had a crime problem for many years, the country has been unable to come up with a solution for the issue. Some business leaders such as MegaMart CEO, Gassan Azan, and financial analyst, Dennis Chung, believe that the solution should start by restoring general discipline to individuals.

"There is no fear of the law in this country," said Gassan Azan. "It is a mentality thing, it comes down from the top."
Chung said that the tackling of crime in the United States may be a useful template for Jamaica.

"I think major crimes start with the general breakdown of discipline in society," said Chung. "I've always said over the years that if the government cannot control indiscipline on the roads, how are you going to solve the crime problem?

"It starts on the roads and small things; show that there is a presence," Chung urged the authorities. "If you go to the United States, one of the things you notice is that there is a presence on the road of policemen and if you do something wrong, you are in trouble so you don't want to elevate to other crimes."

Omar Azan believes that the creation of jobs will play a big part in alleviating the crime wave, and urged the bureaucrats to make this a priority.

"We hope and plead that the government will make it the utmost importance to rid this country of crime," said Azan. "One of the main things that we think will be able to help with the crime fighting is rather than putting out more police forces, getting more factories open and creating more jobs."

However, no matter how it is solved, the general consensus of all the executives, emphasised by Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) president, Christopher Zacca, is that the effective fighting of crime will be a major boost to the country.

"If you have true trackling of crime...in the short run you will have a tremendous explosion in this country," he said.

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