Dear Editor,

Catching offenders, rather than introducing new laws, seems most effective in reducing a high crime rate.

The proposed crime bills increase the power of a police force seen as corrupt and abusive. Without addressing trust between citizens and the police, these bills seem likely to have as little success in addressing crime as previous draconian laws.

The Gun Court Act of 1974 was an attempt to contain panic over a crime rate of about over 200 murders per year. There was no provision for bail, sentencing was mandatory, and parole was granted (if at all) under rigid conditions. Gun courts continue to exist, but last year’s murder rate was 1680.

The Suppression of Crime Act was passed at the same time as the Gun Court Act. The police could seize, search or detain at will, thus reinforcing a type of policing that disregards citizens’ rights. The crime rate almost quadrupled by the time the Act was repealed in 1993.

One of Jamaica’s new crime bills – restricting bail for 60 days – is already enacted in Trinidad. Since the law has been in force, Trinidad’s crime rate has doubled.

Jamaicans will once again be asked to gamble liberty and risk further loss of safety. Nothing in these bills addresses fears that police might illegally fabricate or withhold evidence. On the contrary, the framers of these bills treat police allegations as a basis for depriving suspects of freedom.

Further, the bills endorse poor policing practices. Arrest can precede rather than follow investigation. Police have no incentive to provide cases strong enough to persuade the courts to refuse bail, or hand down sentences based on the merits of a case. These bills do not provide for credible oversight of police conduct; compensation for abuse of power; or credible protection for those too poor to afford an attorney.

If these bills become law, Jamaica will be on its way to repeating its history, with predictable results.

Yvonne McCalla Sobers

sobersy@yahoo.com