With paltry support from our political apparatus, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) seems to be proactively taking on the matter of crime, and appears to be getting quiet assistance from people who have given up on the politicians.

Two of the biggest examples of impactful results from the police are to be seen in the removal of top gang leaders in the country, notably the One Order and Klansman gangs, both said to have deep links into the major political parties.

The JCF’s latest public initiative which we regard as critical is the month-long Cross Country Tour by its Domestic Violence Intervention Unit which kicked off this week to educate, engage, and empower citizens on identifying and preventing domestic violence.

The impact of domestic violence should not be underestimated. While murders from sensational events, like gang activities and drug affairs gone awry, more frequently grab the headlines, the police say they have found, since they began monitoring in 2021, that domestic violence makes a significant contribution to murders.

“It is attributed to homicides in parishes that would not normally experience certain types of murder,” said National Domestic Violence Intervention Liaison Officer Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jacqueline Dillon.

The National Prevalence Survey 2018 found that four in 10 women in Jamaica experience some form of intimate partner violence.

Since a domestic violence hotline was opened last September, it has handled more than 7,400 cases, with more than 5,200 being females and more than 2,200 males.

Researchers in the United States have generally agreed that among ethnic minority groups there, black people are the most likely to experience domestic violence — either male-to-female or female-to-male.

This might be a suggestion that poverty is at the root of domestic violence since black people are at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. It might prove useful if Jamaican authorities examine the matter to determine whether poverty is playing an outsized role in the prevalence of domestic violence here.

The Government should continue to keep its eye on ways to protect victims of domestic violence. Recent amendments to the Domestic Violence Act, happily, provide enhanced protection to victims of physical and mental abuse from people they reside with or are involved with in an intimate or familial relationship.

This includes abuse involving couples living together (married or unmarried); any children in the household, including those who are not the biological children of both or either spouse; any other members of the household; couples in a visiting relationship; and, importantly, intimate partner violence covering child abuse, elder abuse, or abuse by any member of a household.

The JCF’s Domestic Violence Intervention Unit has singled out areas deemed to be hotspots for domestic violence, such as St Elizabeth, St James, St Catherine North, Kingston Central, and Kingston Eastern.

All have recorded high numbers of domestic violence over the past three years, with St Catherine North consistently reporting more than 1,000 annually at the Domestic Violence Support Centres, DSP Dillon reported.

We commend the JCF for this annual tour and urge all Jamaicans to embrace and support this important work they are doing by attending the road tours.