There is a Jamaican saying that “what gone bad a morning can’t come good a evening”, and crime gone bad from morning. I still have a little hope that, although it won’t ‘come good’ again, it can improve.

The murder rate has gone really bad, but it did not start yesterday. I do not profess to know the cause, and I don’t think anybody does, but since Independence the curse of murder on the Jamaican society has grown like a cancer or like a fig tree entwining a pear tree. It started from small but each year it has grown bigger; strangling the host plant by twinning its roots around its trunk, eventually choking it to death in manner of a boa constrictor the crushing its victim.

It’s hardly any point talking about changing ministers of security or police commissioners. We have done that repeatedly to no avail. As an educator, let me take the liberty of voicing my opinion on a few observations and beliefs from my long experience in this most beautiful land.

Family breakdown

It became noticeable that after the mass migration to Britain in the 50s and early 60s the children who were left to grow with auntie or granny soon started to show bad behaviour in school. This continued with the migration to North America subsequently. Many children started to exhibit behavioural problems once they realised that they would soon be ‘sent for’ by parents. Sure, the barrels came with the pretty stuff, but it was no substitute for parents.

How come Jamaica has so many single mothers? It must be the strong DNA (Daddy not available) or some of our ladies are extra fertile. Some ladies have not developed a relationship with the male long enough even to know his right name, but he becomes the babyfather who soon vanishes like a soap bubble in the wind. The boys grow without good role models and learn the ways of the street, including the gun. Some politicians love them because they are good enforcers and political ‘crowd swellers’.

Some men with zero earning power have a whole string of pretty girls who, in turn, make their demands. Not being able to meet these demands for the horse hair and the other beauty aids, he resorts to violence, robbing and killing, and sometimes she herself meets the same fate. Could there be a relationship with the number of domestic violence cases just before last Christmas? Some of these ladies couldn’t care less how the luxury comes and are willing to hide the guns, even forming a threesome on the pillow with the gun between the two heads, wash the blood-stained clothes, and play the ‘see-and-blind, hear-and-deaf’ game. Get rich quick because of envy, so scam and rob people, killing some along the way, to get the big house, the car, drink the top-shelf liquor, and control the girls.

Jamaican music is great, but have the authorities ever monitored the types of lyrics contained in some of these songs? Many are not uplifting of the Jamaican society and glorify the bad treatment of women, the use of drugs, and how they must use their guns against some people. “Informa fi dead”, glorification of the “glock”, hatred for the police and gays are among some of the topics in the lyrics. Some of the uneducated fans follow every word the ‘artiste’ says without thinking for themselves and go out to make some ‘duppies’ to become accepted in the gang.

Police and law enforcement

We need a modern well-trained police force which can really catch the criminals and have them convicted. The few bad eggs in the force need to be culled. They bring down the morale of the rest of the force.

Training for young entrants is inadequate. Despite the vast increase in the body of knowledge since, the time spent at training school today is not much longer than what it was a century ago when my father joined the force and graduated from “ Depot” in Spanish Town. Again when some of the young police personnel are placed on duty after graduation, they are tainted by the bad habits of those older ones in the service. The training received does not adequately prepare them to put cases together which can stand the rigours of the courtroom, so cases fall apart and the guilty go free to repeat their offences. Modern crime detection technology, including the use of DNA, lags far behind.

The police could also practise more zero-tolerance. Too often police see offences being committed and turn a blind eye. Some of these examples are buses passing with doors open, motorcycle riders without helmets, bicycles without lights, illegal items such as pirated records on the street, littering and myriad minor offences. It does not mean that arrests should be made, but a strong word to the offenders could mean something to some of them.

The slow pace of the justice system is a major headache. Cases which should be disposed of in months take years. Apart from inadequate space for courtrooms — in spite of the numerous unoccupied buildings which could be refurbished, such as the old Jamaica Mutual building in Justice Square — and the shortage of staff, these are more excuses than reality. How can lawyers, for example, schedule cases so far apart to be tried at the same time. They are well-trained but not omnipresent.

Finally, I know all Jamaicans — except the criminals, of course — wish the new acting commissioner of police all the success possible. Let us hope the entire Jamaica Constabulary Force and the country will give her all the support for the good of the nation.

Trevor Samuels, JP, is an educator. Send comments to the Observer or tasamuels@cwjamaica.com.