Like anyone else who frets about the impact of crime on Jamaicans, we in this space are taking a keen interest in tomorrow’s launch of the 2023 Jamaica National Crime Victimisation Survey (JNCVS) report by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin).

It may be purely coincidental that the release of the report is following in the wake of last Friday’s very upbeat speech on progress in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) by Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang to 334 new constables at the National Police College of Jamaica in Twickenham Park, St Catherine.

Dr Chang and Statin’s Acting Director General Ms Leesha Delatie-Budair will launch the survey at AC Marriott Hotel in St Andrew.

Statin conducts the JNCVS on behalf of the security ministry to measure the extent to which Jamaicans are exposed to crime, as reported by victims, as well as citizens’ views on social norms supporting crime and violence.

We will be especially focused on data from the survey relating to Jamaicans’ perceptions of safety, community crime and disorder, and fear of victimisation, as well as public perception of social intervention programmes and security measures, notably the zones of special operations (ZOSOs) and states of emergency (SOEs).

Of course, the Statin report will cover other important areas such as criminal victimisation in Jamaica during the period November 2020 to October 2023; details of victimisation experiences in the past 12 months; indirect exposure to crime; crime prevention strategies (household and personal); and public perception of authorities’ performance, specifically their effectiveness, reliability, corruption, and in duty areas.

The ZOSOs came to life following political squabbles over the effectiveness of SOEs, which critics believed were unnecessarily hard policing that did not get to the root of crime and violence. In December 2020, a joint select committee was convened to consider and report on proposed legislation for ZOSOs.

The legislation was designed to facilitate social transformation and community development measures responsive to “our current social, cultural and economic dynamics of those who reside in these vulnerable and volatile communities”.

Since then, seven zones were declared, starting with the first in Mount Salem, St James. The other six areas designated as ZOSOs are Denham Town, August Town, Greenwich Town, Norwood, Parade Gardens, and sections of Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland. The seven ZOSOs were set to expire on June 23 this year.

“All seven zones continue to advance along the clear-hold-build path. Though they are at different stages, the people experience with immediacy the transformation of their community and the restoration of hope that comes with a ZOSO,” Dr Chang said at the time.

The Statin report, hopefully, will give a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the ZOSOs to help the country decide if the money and effort spent were worth it. It is to be recalled that at one point even Dr Chang himself had doubts.

In his speech to the new constables, Dr Chang bragged that the JCF’s transformation had reached a pivotal stage, based on “a strong foundation for building a modern and effective policing ecosystem, with investments encompassing transportation, communications, infrastructure, and technology”.

We sincerely hope so.