While some apply lavish amounts of bogus intellectual dressing and unhesitatingly, shamelessly, and publicly try to diminish very consequential and verifiable achievements to the obvious exclusion, if not the undermining, of Jamaica’s national interests, those of us who believe and are positively and actively working to help Jamaica become “the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business” must remain steadfast in the application of our commitment and energies.

Indeed, well-thinking Jamaicans must never fall prey to what National Hero Norman Manley called “a corruption of consciousness”. By this I think Manley meant that facts must never be subverted on the altar of narrow political party interests and/or self-aggrandisement.

When humans get to this point of devolution, yes devolution, we fall into a spiral of gloomy descent in which the adoption of the lowest common denominator is justifiable, and “by any means necessary” becomes a guiding mantra. Some scholars of especially ancient civilisations posit that this sickly juncture of degradation is one of the surest signs of the start of a catastrophic fall.

Sound reasoning and truth are often the first causalities when human consciousness is corrupted. A nightmarish deterioration is the inevitable result. Those of us who mean this country well have not just a responsibility but, importantly, a duty to learn from the lessons of history. We also have a duty to help our countrymen learn history’s lessons so that especially the awfulness of the past is not repeated.

In this respect, well-thinking Jamaicans cannot ignore the egotists and narcissists among us, whose singular objective is the feathering of their own nests, even if doing so will drag us back into an unusable past. As we get closer to the holding of our 19th parliamentary election since Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944, we who mean Jamaica well must not allow the critical societal adhesive of objective facts to be diluted and/or subverted by merchants of double-speak, vain gloriousness, and status depravity. They are working 24/7 to try and fool us with deflections, distractions, fake news, and the equivalent of what American President George W Bush, in 2000, called “fuzzy math”. Think back to Bush’s opponent Al Gore’s economic numbers.

Well-earned credit

One of the factory faults of political narcissists and their cousins, the egotists, is that they cannot bring themselves to give others credit even in the midst of a wealth of verifiable evidence. This is a big flaw.

On the subject of mighty flaws, in recent months especially, I have been watching with much interest the patently dismissive and hugely dishonest treatment of the considerable improvements in our national crime situation, in particular the significant decline in murders, by some who seek high and low political office locally and internationally, some who wear very bright shiny robes, some who are well credentialled, some who masquerade behind titles, and some whose daily bread and agenda are largely determined by masters who live particularly in lands thousands of miles from our alluring shores.

These feckless campaigners seem not to understand that the mighty cracks in their armour are now very visible, but to the conveniently blind. “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time,” said Abraham Lincoln.

This is no fooling.

Over many months, many in the mentioned classifications poured heaps of cold water on the Andrew Holness-led Administration. “Where is the crime plan?” Back then Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang was portrayed as a political pariah in the arena of public discussion. Calls for Dr Chang to resign were quite loud.

Those demands were not unreasonable, notwithstanding the fact that crime in Jamaica, in particular our abnormally high murder rate, is a long-standing affliction. Near catastrophic social, economic, and political results are the awful consequences of Jamaica’s long-standing crime plague. Understand this, for example, crime has been costing this country upwards of 5.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) (
The Economist, March 20, 2008) annually. All Jamaicans are poorer and less respected as a consequence. The Holness Administration deserves high marks for the fact that in the midst of the great howls for the security minister’s firing, it determinedly and skilfully planned its work and worked its plan.

Today we are seeing the good fruits of that admirable diligence.

Last Monday, for example, not a single murder was reported in Jamaica, this according to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The last time I remember hearing spectacular news like this was in 2009, 16 years ago, when Usain Bolt ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds in the final of the World Athletics Championship in Berlin to break his own world record. Recall the living legend shocked the Berlin crowd by demolishing his previous best of 9.69 seconds, which he had clocked at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

I know that doubting Thomases will, like clockwork, shout, “Higgins, one swallow doesn’t make a summer.” And I anticipate that some who cannot bear to see Jamaica progress simply because their political party is not at Jamaica House are going to scream, “Higgins, the Administration does not deserve any credit, because our handiwork is the reason for the reduction in crime.” I do not care. Who planted the tree which is now bearing fruits that are resulting in fewer Jamaicans being slaughtered daily?

Fewer Jamaicans are being murdered. One hundred and forty-three fewer Jamaicans have been murdered this year compared to the corresponding period in 2024, this up to May 3, 2025.

Again, Dr Chang and the Administration, on the basis of verifiable evidence, are making historic, meaningful, and literally life-saving inroads in reducing major crimes, in particular murders.

Believe it; there are some among us who are immensely unhappy because of the reduction in major crimes, in particular murders. They would prefer to hear the familiar weeping, mourning, and gnashing of teeth of Jamaicans. Why? They devilishly calculate that the more power ‘King Crime’ accumulates and the more monstrosities he releases on Jamaicans, the better are their personal chances of becoming people of great importance, with titles and power and oftentimes State power to match.

Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK), famously said, “Some people go into politics to be somebody, I went into politics to do something.” Status depravity is an awful affliction. Those who are willing to ride on the coffins of ordinary Jamaicans to acquire power mean this country no good. And, yes, it is mostly ordinary Jamaicans who are murdered, robbed, and raped daily. The fact is most ordinary Jamaicans do not live in gated communities. Ordinary folks cannot afford to hire a private security company, and most do not have a licensed firearm and/or a pack of pit bulls to help defend person and property. While the reduction in crime is good news for Jamaica, it is especially great news for ordinary Jamaicans.

Those who do not suffer with convenient amnesia would doubtless remember the massive increase in budgetary allocation to the Ministry of National Security in recent years. I recall the hails of complaints which emanated from some quarters at the magnitude of the increases. Today some of those same belly-achers are disingenuously claiming credit for the recent reductions in major crimes. The reductions are not lucky accidents.

We are seeing the life-saving results of the considerable and sustained investments in national security since 2017. The ‘small man’ is the primary beneficiary. Those who cannot see this critical reality need to get new and perhaps better mental/cranial spectacles.

Here is another fact which we should not loose sight of. There is a direct relationship between the growing and current improvements in our macroeconomic situation and the billions poured into the upgrading of our national security apparatus over the last eight years. The 38.4 per cent — as at last Tuesday — decline in murders since the start of 2025 compared to 2024 is not a lucky accident.

For example, former Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson, who did a lot of the heavy lifting during six years of meaningful service, deserves a lot of credit for today’s welcomed reduction in crime — murders in particular .

Consider this banner headline from The Gleaner of April 4, 2023: ‘All major crimes down for the first quarter of 2023’. The news item said, among other things: “Jamaica has recorded a 22 per cent reduction in major crimes for the first quarter of the year. At the end of March, murders were down by 21 per cent, while shootings declined by 13 per cent. Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson said rape decreased by 47 per cent while robberies reduced by 32 per cent. And break-ins declined by 11 per cent.”

The fact is today’s considerable reduction in crime is the result of dedicated work by a strong team of very skilled relay runners. It is in this vein that the present Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake also deserves an immense amount of credit.

Check this: 44 people were murdered in April this year. That is the lowest homicide number for any one month in Jamaica since the year 2000. That’s a 25-year low. Dr Blake said recently that our security forces are utilising a crime-fighting model first used to disrupt international terrorist networks in their thrust to dismantle gangs operating in the country. That is great news for law-abiding citizens. Those who mollycoddle criminals under the guise of human rights advocacy, especially, might not be so enthused. “You can’t ride with the cops but root for the robbers,” said the late, Justice Antonin Scalia of the US Supreme Court. I agree.

The foot soldiers

A reinvigorated sense of enthusiasm for doing the back-breaking work of local policing seems to have come to the fore since Commissioner Blake has been at the helm. I think Jamaica must be one of hardest places in the world to be a policeman.

The dedicated men and women who serve in the JCF and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are a credit to their profession. The major reduction in crime that we are seeing would not be possible without them working beyond the call of duty, daily. I anticipate some are going to say, “But the security forces have some very bad people within their ranks.” True! So what is to be done, condemn the two groups because of the bad apples among them? No! The answer as I see it is to strengthen the internal systems within the security forces to performance manage the bad apples out.

Understand this, I would rather take my chances with the members of the security forces any day, as imperfect as they are. Criminals have one objective, the robbing, maiming, murdering, and impoverishing of you and me. The choice is clear!

Keep the Momentum

Recently, Prime Minister Dr Holness said, “Our strategic investments in the JCF, including enhancements in technology, infrastructure, and officer training, are strengthening our national security framework. We remain committed to sustaining and building upon this momentum.”

While the Administration continues to be tough on crime and the causes of crime, all well-thinking Jamaicans need to join the fight against criminals. Those who refuse to join this good fight are merely setting up themselves to become prey. I do not believe that powder puffs and hugs should be applied to criminals who shoot at the police or otherwise endanger the lives of law-abiding citizens. Criminals have had the upper hand in this country for a long, long time. They are on the run today. And they must be kept on the run.

There must be no respite for criminals in Jamaica.

Garfield Higgins is and educator and journalist. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com

In April Jamaica registered its lowest homicide number (44) for any one month since the year 2000 — a 25-year low. (Timur Arbae)

Crime has been costing this country upwards of 5.4 per cent of gross domestic product.