Corruption as an allegation is a staple in Third World political campaigns. Whether it exists or not it doesn’t really matter. Just throw the dirt around and it will stick.

It’s also no different for law enforcement. Every organisation that has failed to curb the violence cites corruption as a factor. That is whether it is of the Government, the Opposition, or society as a whole.

Well, let’s address something; corruption exists in every major organisation in the world — from the much-vaunted New York City Police Department (NYPD) to the British Government. That’s the reality.

However, is corruption a primary factor in Jamaica’s inability to win the war against the gangs? I don’t believe it is.

I believe capacity is the fundamental reason.

Also, there are some other issues like laws, societal divisions, and the fact that as a country we don’t accept that we are at war.

However, before I venture down that rabbit hole, let’s discuss this corruption factor that everyone likes to shout about.

The librarian at my parish library is a great lady. She can cook well, too. If I want to know where to find a good VS Reid novel, she can direct me to the aisle and shelf.

Despite her acumen, she can’t direct me to where one AK-47 rifle is buried. To find that I need to talk to someone who moves in that crowd, it is possible that person may even be a criminal.

So if I, or any other police officer, talk with a criminal with an aim to furthering justice and peace, it doesn’t mean I am corrupt. It’s just part of the process to do the job professionally.

We often encourage gang members, and the rest of society, to use the justice system to achieve justice rather than seek revenge themselves.

If they listen and become a complainant then we have to, like with any other complainant, ensure safe attendance to court and their safety generally.

Therefore, you are likely to see them being visited by the police and transported to court, etc. This doesn’t mean they and the police are friends or that the police are sharing information with them.

So you are a good citizen. You are the victim of a crime and you give a statement to the police. The culprit is arrested and jailed. A trial is the end result of a criminal charge and at some point the accused is going to know your identity and your allegations.

This is not because the police are corrupt, but because the law says you must serve the defence a copy of all statements. It’s the law! It’s not the police officer ‘selling you out’.

A gunman commits a crime in front of one person. If that person becomes a witness and the gunman knows who talked, it’s likely because he knows he committed the crime in front of only one person. He’s a mongrel, not a fool.

Okay, back to using corruption as an excuse. We have lost the battle largely because of persons making decisions without really understanding the peculiar matrix of gang control.

The lawmakers, the advisors, and the technocrats are the ones who, based on our democracy, make the decisions. They are well-intentioned and often seem practical, but gang land is a complex geography.

The real experts are powerless and underutilised when decisions are to be made. This is the reality and the fundamental reason we fail. It begins with this and all else simply follows.

Can this change? It will be difficult. Let me explain. I have been to many schools and have lived in Jamaica for most of my life, but I was an adult before I realised that yam grows under the earth.

It’s not because I don’t eat yam, I rather like it.

It’s just that I was not exposed to agriculture.

Crime fighting is like that.

Each jurisdiction has its own dynamic. Macro decisions can be problematic when micro implementation is required.

The decision that you should charge a man within 24 hours of his arrest seems reasonable in a court of law and Gordon House, but not so much when you see what the wrong man with the right rifle did to a family one sad night in an informal settlement called ‘Africa’ in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

I guarantee that if any lawmaker or defender of the constitution spent a year in the shoes of a frontline cop, they would think differently about laws and that constitution under which the laws fall.

What’s the solution? Trust! Realise as leaders that you don’t know enough about fighting gangs and trust the police when they say they need declarations of states of public emergency or longer remand periods or roadblocks on every corner.

As a society, accept that the disparity in living conditions between groups in our country is a primary contributor to the continued failure to defeat the gangs and commit to drastic change. This is even, perhaps, the most important factor.

Feedback: drjasonamckay@gmail.com