WHEN delegates from the diaspora convene in Kingston for their biennial conference later this month, the alarming murder rate which has rocked the country since the beginning of the year will be uppermost in their minds.

Newly elected advisory board member for the West and Midwest regions of the United States, Dr Rupert Francis, said his delegation “will be putting forward suggestions to deal with the issue”.

Francis, who heads the diaspora Task Force on Crime Prevention and Intervention, said representatives of the diaspora have been working with the security forces in a bid to bring the matter under control.

“We have been discussing several plans, but I can’t talk about them publicly at this point,” he said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

However, he said that part of the plans is to “harness diaspora resources to put a cohesive intelligence mechanism in place that will assist the police in their work”.

Acknowledging that there is a serious level of distrust on the part of the public towards the police, Dr Francis said that “the trust level has to be rebuilt”, as community collaboration is critical in any crime-prevention measure. He said that diaspora representatives are working hard to help bridge this gap, and that he hopes that efforts towards achieving that goal will be a major push at the July 23 — 26 conference.

In the meantime, Attorney Wayne Golding, who won re-election as advisory board member for the Southern US, confirmed that “a lot of work is taking place between the diaspora and stakeholders in Jamaica on a crime-prevention and intervention initiative”.

He noted that “different approaches are being looked at” as to how to effectively deal with the matter. Golding, who will represent the interest of Jamaicans in states such as Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina, said while the public may not be aware of what is being done, the diaspora is actively engaged in the efforts to deal with the crime problem.

“We are not just talking, real work is being done,” he said in reference to criticisms that have at times been levelled at the diaspora about its often stated positions about crime intervention and prevention.

Social worker Alekia Maitland was the other advisory board member elected. She will represent the Northeast US, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.