MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Deputy Commissioner of Police Delworth Heath says tricksters and a culture of 'anancyism' are undermining national life and that law enforcement alone will not be able to effectively tackle the problem.

"If there's one thing we do well is anancyism. A lot of anancyism is killing Jamaica. We know how to trick people," Heath told members of the Manchester Chapter of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica at their recent Annual General Meeting in Mandeville.

"We have a country....where you have good things happening and people try to bore holes through it. The problem is that it is practised right across the board. A number of the persons who we would have hoped would be supporting us (police) are not supporting us. They are part of the process of trying to find a way around law and order," Heath said.

The deputy commissioner of police said that "law enforcement can't change people's minds. It may prevent a man from doing the act now but when he gets the chance, if the heart is still there he is going to do it. I am of the view that what we need to do more than anything else is to try to get to the heart of people. We need to restore moral values..."

Heath said that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the justices of the peace (JPs) were among the groups that should take the lead in changing the system of "corner cutting" to which people have become accustomed.

He challenged the gathering of lay magistrates at the Golf View Hotel to "stand as vanguards" of change.

The JCF, he said, had embarked on a "serious cleansing programme" to rid itself of corrupt individuals and he appealed to JPs to help the constabulary to make the best recruiting decisions.

"Without you we are almost limbless," he said. "We are prepared to give all the support we can to the Lay Magistrates in Jamaica. We are also expecting you to give the best support you can. One of the challenges we face is to get good recruits to the police force. Let us try to help the JCF with this one especially...," he said.

Heath said that all organisations in Jamaica are susceptible to "miscreants" and persons in positions of authority and influence must lead by example.

"It doesn't make sense we set standards for people and it doesn't apply to us. We must provoke each other to good work. I don't believe Jamaica's social problems are beyond us to solve. The way to do it is bring about a new moral awakening, a moral renaissance in Jamaica. The best place to start is with ourselves. I am prepared to give leadership to bring about a change in this country," he added.