Since murder became the major problem of the average Jamaican citizen in 1974, we have had three peaks that have earned their own spot in history.

One such year was 1980, which was, in essence, the manifestation of six years of the civil war. Following that were 2009 and 2017. There were other peaks, but these three were unique.

Now, 883 murders in one year may not seem like such a big deal in a country where we are driving our armed forces to exhaustion to get below 1,000 murders per year. However, you must remember that apart from having a population two-thirds the size of our present population, we were also coming from an era where a 100-murder-per-year figure was problematic. In fact, the murder crisis in 1973 and early 1974 was considered to be so urgent that we created an indefinite Interment Act and created the Gun Court. That being said, 1980 was unique.

By 1987, the murders had been reduced to 442 per year. Virtually the figure was halved. What did the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Edward Seaga Government do to reduce murders by 50 per cent in seven years? Two things occurred; the People’s National Party (PNP) pretty much disappeared from public life, so much so that they did not even contest the 1983 General Election.

Murders in the era leading up to the election year were mostly killings influenced by the barbaric behaviour of political fanatics. The hibernation of the PNP left no one around to fight. It’s that simple. Had both parties continued their conduct then the result would have been different.

Then there was the mass migration of the thugs who fought the political war. This mass migration resulted in the creation of gangs overseas, such as the ‘Shower Posse’ in the United States and the ‘Yardies’ in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, it also resulted in the deportee crisis of the 1990s when the garbage was dumped back on our shores.

The reduction was also aided by the creation of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Operation Squad. This was a special squad of investigators and operators that brought the fight to the gangs. This squad played a major role ensuring that Jamaica did not become Haiti.

The 2009 crisis came about largely because of two factors; the attack against the armed forces by the human rights community, and the surge in gang growth of the Shower Posse and other gangs. This was our worst year ever on any rubric. The attack by the human rights community put the primary frontline of the JCF on their back foot and fighting to keep their liberty and their US visas.

By 2016, murders had been reduced to 1,354, from 1,683, a reduction of about 20 per cent.

This was not as impressive as the reduction in the 80s in the seven-year period under study. However, remember the stimuli was not removed in this era, as compared to the end of the political tribalism that occurred after the 1980 election, when political war ended once and for all.

How was the 20 per cent reduction achieved? Well, the Tivoli incursion certainly helped because it reset the figure to below 1,200, which was largely maintained until 2016 when it began its new surge.

By 2017 it was at peak levels again — 1,647 homicides for the year. This was hands down attributed to the attack on the JCF by Indecom wanting to charge cops without going through the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The cops felt like criminals under attack so they had to focus on their survival and liberty.

By 2024 we are looking at just about 1,150. This represents an approximate 30 per cent decrease in homicides as compared to the 2017 peak of 1,647. So again, not as impressive as the 50 per cent in the 1980-1987 period, but still a remarkable comeback. There are so many factors that contributed to this accomplishment.

An Indecom without the power of arrest and therefore nuked helps a lot. Now they have to go through a body that is not influenced by foreign powers to make an arrest.

Then there are the laws that have been passed that allow for the removal of so many of the killers from our streets. These include the anti-gang legislation, the new Gun Act and the Lotto Scamming legislation. Irrespective of their dates of creation, their application in current times are second to none. They allow for the removal of so many killers from the streets.

The significant capitalisation of the JCF that occurred during Major General Antony Anderson’s tenure has helped in respect of the ability to function and react. A massive factor is the motivated workforce that currently makes up the JCF. This motivated human resource initiative is, to a great degree, due to Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake and his management team that have the support of the members to a point I have never seen in Jamaica’s history. There has not been a commissioner of police since independence that has enjoyed this support. This is the component that everyone and every government underestimates. It’s not initiatives that fight gangs, it’s the police.

Policies, laws, and initiatives are redundant if the members don’t decide to get on board. In a crisis like what we face, police have to be ready to neglect everything, from their health to their families, if they are to save the lives that need saving. It’s sad, but it’s true. The killers are really well-armed, well-funded and well-represented in law.

Regular commitment won’t work. You need obsession, an obsession that dictates that if we don’t fight them, innocent lives will be lost. That is what exists now. Every time we have fought the peaks we have returned once again to fail after we achieved and have to fight the battle all over again. Let’s not do it this time.

This new territory of sub-1,200 murders per annum can become sub-1,100 and then finally sub-1,000. Everyone needs to get behind it. Keep politics out of it. Focus on saving lives like it’s all that matters because really and truly it is that which matters in the long run.

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