Once a doubting Thomas, Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang is enthusiastically supporting social intervention programmes to divert young males from joining gangs and reducing crime in the medium term.

“If we move aggressively on social intervention programmes, partnering with leading institutions to steer young males away from gangs, we will achieve the medium-term impact we seek,” Chang said as he hailed the launch of the 2023 Jamaica National Crime Victimisation Survey (JNCVS) on Friday.

The JNCVS, commissioned by the Ministry of National Security and carried out by Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin), is a vital resource for evidence-based policymaking, providing insights into the experiences of crime victims, perceptions of safety, and the effectiveness of crime prevention strategies, Dr Chang said.

In 2019, the security minister waded into hot waters when he declared that the Government would be cutting funding for some social intervention programmes, suggesting that the money could be better spent on other intervention strategies.

Despite public backlash, Dr Chang doubled down on his stance to cut funds to programmes such as the Peace Management Initiative (PMI).

“I have said over and over, they were well-intentioned projects [but] I am not satisfied with how they were executed…I have been working them for 17 years, both PMI and CSJP, but I think we need to reposition them that when they leave, finish a project, we’ll have permanent, transformable changes,” he asserted at the time.

The JNVCS apparently found evidence that social intervention programmes were effective in reducing crime. This year’s iteration, the sixth, captures data from November 2023 to February 2024 and provides an in-depth analysis of crime trends and societal attitudes.

Dr Chang, in his address Friday at the AC Marriott hotel in St Andrew, highlighted the survey’s findings, noting their relevance in shaping policies to disrupt gang activity.

“This survey indicates that focusing on gangs, both as a curative and preventative measure, can yield significant reductions in homicide and violence,” he explained. He reiterated the ministry’s intention to building an efficient police force equipped to address this challenge.

The minister also cited the state of public emergency as “a demonstrably effective measure in curbing homicides”, and affirmed that ongoing investments in police infrastructure and communication systems would further strengthen the country’s ability to combat crime.

The study targeted Jamaicans aged 16 years and older living in private dwellings, with a sample size of 3,294 participants, Statin said. The survey captures data on the following areas:

Perceptions of safety, community crime and disorder, and fear of victimisation; criminal victimisation in Jamaica (November 2020 – October 2023); details of victimisation experiences in the past 12 months; indirect exposure to crime; and crime prevention strategies (household and personal).

Other areas covered were: public perception of authorities’ performance (effectiveness, reliability, corruption, performance in duty areas); public perception of social intervention programmes and security measures; and public perception of the ‘Liv Gud’ campaign.