AFTER what many described as a close battle, Titchfield High was crowned the champions of the first Area Two police regional debate competition on Tuesday at the Sandals Grande Riviera Resort in Ocho Rios. The Portland-based school surprised St Mary High School when it took an interesting but brilliant turn on the moot it was asked to oppose.

“Jamaica’s high crime rate is a direct result of the island’s social and moral decay, rather than the lack of effective policing,” was the moot proposed by St Mary.

The team argued that the social and moral breakdown in society was the cause of the high crime rate. St Mary High student Abigail Barrett, who was named the best speaker of the overall competition, made strong arguments to start her team’s presentation.

However, when Christina Williams took the stand for Titchfield, it was obvious it would be an exciting match. The team, rather than focusing on the police force, defined policing in a wider context, taking a view the proposing team was not anticipating. This sent St Mary looking for rebuttals.

The team tried to make a comeback through second and third speakers Janelle Haye and Terrecia McPherson, and through an excellent rebuttal from Barrett; however, Titchfield’s Ricardo Allen and Dwanique Passley joined best speaker at the match Christina Williams and ensured victory. After an exciting match with outstanding speakers who showed both great debating and research skills, the judges made the announcement.

Several people, including guest speaker at the match Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams, had high praises for the competition. According to Williams, he will be seeking to spread the debate competition to other regions. “It is such a positive development. The youth must play a special role in the recovery of Jamaica,” he said. Stating that Jamaica has seen too many murders and other major crimes, he continued, “When you can articulate, when you can express yourselves, when you can let others know how you feel, you don’t act it out.”

Williams said many get into physical fights because they are not able to talk out their issues with others. “When people have these types of skills they are far superior to others who cannot express themselves,” he added.

He said if more persons were able to express themselves then there would be fewer murders. “Crime is a symptom of the problem,” he said. The commissioner also called for partnerships with the police to ensure effective policing. “The police cannot do it alone, and policing is not just for the police, it’s for the society,” he stated.

Several speakers and sponsors at the event lauded Woman Corporal Natalee Williams, Safe School coordinator, and recently transferred ACP Ealan Powell for conceptualising and implementing the competition, which started at the parish level in St Ann last year but quickly spread to St Ann and St Mary.

The parish winners then vied for the regional title. Principal of St Hilda’s High School Heather Johnson, who responded on behalf of the participating schools, said the debate competition was a highly commendable one. “Our students have benefited, are benefiting, and will continue to benefit from being in this competition,” she said.

She highlighted past student of the institution and former member of the debate competition Shauna Kay Martin who won a scholarship to Moneague College after her brilliance was recognised in the competition.

Corporal Williams, who gave an overview of the competition, described it as a historic event. “If the trend continues, then the achievement of Vision 2030 will not be an insurmountable task,” she said.

The winning team received a $50,000 cash prize from major sponsor Rebel Salute Foundation. The team also won several trophies and other prizes.

St Mary High walked away with $30,000 from the National Security Employees Cooperative Credit Union along with several trophies and prizes. St Hilda’s, the third-place finisher, also received several prizes.