Dear Editor,

The police hierarchy recently released the crime statistics for the month of October where they reported a “continued significant fall” in crime. This revelation, however, comes against the backdrop of the bloodbath where some 20 Jamaicans lost their lives two weekends ago.

There was no great outcry. One surmises that this was because the media was busy elsewhere. It is a most welcome fact that crime has continuously trended downwards since the security forces entered Tivoli in May this year. However, one gets the painful feeling that the political directorate is bereft of both the will and ideas as to how to genuinely treat this cancerous growth we know as crime and violence.

Mr Golding, his security minister and perhaps the hierarchy of the security forces all seem willing to be content with what now obtains. It matters not that 20 Jamaicans are killed over three days, just so long as the statistics continue to trend downwards. There can be no doubt or qualms about the fact that the current statistics as they relate to crime are a direct result of what unfolded in May. But what will happen in May next year? Will we be back to where we were in May 2008? The government needs to act now and leave the promulgation of statistics for later, because crime may be trending down now, but without any purposeful containment, we may well be back to our dubious position as the world’s murder capital.

Noel Forbes Matherson

noelmatherson@gmail.com