MANGO VALLEY, St Mary — While noting the grim reality that the National Stadium is too small to accommodate the number of people murdered since Jamaica became an independent country, Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey still remains optimistic that the country can overcome its crime problem.

The stadium, with a capacity of 35,000, was built in 1962 and remains the largest such facility locally.

“I will tell you that I have seen it all; I have seen it from different perspectives and Jamaica is a very violent society, very violent. We see it played out daily in front of us,” Bailey said at the Prospect College graduation ceremony in St Mary last Saturday.

“Since independence in 1962, we have slaughtered 45,590 of our citizens; they have been murdered. Think about the National Stadium. It can hold maybe about 30-odd thousand people. This, in my mind, suggests that there is a lack of respect for others within this country and it also boils down to a lack of self-respect. This says a lot about the character of the people in our country and the foundation we have built for ourselves even as a free nation,” he added.

However, he said, all is not lost.

“How can we recover from this precipice that we find ourselves in? I am an optimist; I am a patriot; I believe that the collective mind and collective will is available in Jamaica. The capacity is here. And I think what we need is that collective will to treat with the issue of violence which is destroying our country. We are not beyond recovery,” he told the gathering.

He also emphasised that the promotion of respect and other values has a significant role to play in the fight against crime.

“We need to get back to some fundamental principles; get back to some basic civics that used to be taught in schools. Teach our children to respect symbols and to respect institutions and respect adults. We need to get back to that. We must actively decide to rebuild systems that make people feel worthy of respect. Though the idea of rebuilding may be daunting, it only takes a spark to get a fire going,” he said.

Bailey also spoke of the need to confront criminal elements.

“Let me say publicly that I am one of those officers who believe that there are multiple ways of dealing with crime and violence and I believe that some violence producers must be confronted. We can’t use kid gloves in treating with them,” he declared.