There are plans in place to transform five of the island’s most troubled communities – Parade Gardens, and Majesty Gardens in the Corporate Area; Gregory Park, St Catherine; Norwood, St James; and Grange Hill, Westmoreland – through a new programme being implemented by the Government and international partners.

The programme dubbed CREATE (Comm-Unity Resilience and Transformation Project) was launched Thursday at a function attended by officials of the Jamaican Government and the United States, members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and representatives of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF).

Funded by the US International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section in the US Embassy, and operated by PADF, CREATE has a budget of US$2 million and runtime of two years. It is based on a way of thinking called CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design).

CPTED uses existing urban design and management of buildings and natural environments to thwart crime. This can be as simple as trimming hedges low, creating neighbourhood watches and lighting streets or doing more major work like rebuilding entire areas with designs to keep criminals out and make it more difficult for them to manoeuver – making crime more risky and less profitable.

It is hoped that the fate of the five communities will be transformed by crippling gang violence through environmental changes.

“Crime is not just, you know, a gun and knife, it’s a broad thing and it is a business. Crime and violence is a business and we have to face that fact, so, what are the things that are going to deter [youth] from doing crime?” asked Majesty Gardens resident Paul Williams, who spoke alongside other representatives from the five communities.

CPTED expert and police sciences lecturer Dr Brian Cassell explained that the system is “about changing environmental factors on a structure or a community, not the [literal] climate and the environment around us [but] the environment of a neighbourhood or a home or a town or an entire country in some cases.”

Cassell has trained JCF members in CPTED before and will continue to do so under the new programme.

The project’s activities will include training of community-based organisations; 500 youth participating in sector-focused crime and violence prevention programmes; 20 multi-sector youth dialogues or other group activities with 300 youth; 10 after-school programmes and referrals to agencies for skill training, plus at least two infrastructure renovations of community spaces in each of the five target communities.

These infrastructural changes paired with social intervention aim to create a holistic project to guiding youth away from criminal activity, thus stifling the flow of bodies to gangs, and constricting their criminal reach.

“It speaks directly to what we in Parade Gardens have long advocated for. Transformation rooted in togetherness, capacity building and safe spaces for our people, especially our youth. CREATE’s plan is not just a list of activities, it is a roadmap to change,” said Communications Manager of the Parade Gardens Benevolent Society, Shaka Payne, highlighting the potential impact on the communities.

“We see this not as an event, but as a movement, one where community members are not only beneficiaries, but collaborators in reshaping our environment, reducing crime and reigniting hope,” he added.

Amy Tachco, charge d’affaires at the US Embassy Kingston, described the project as one that she had long wanted to see implemented in Jamaica.

“Jamaica is a beautiful country – during my three years here, I have seen first-hand the complex security challenges that it faces, including violence driven by illegal firearms and lottery scamming, issues that affect Jamaicans and Americans alike,” Tachco said. “By investing resources in vulnerable areas, we aim to reduce crime, foster resilience, and create safe spaces.”

In-depth analysis was used to choose the communities for the programme, according to Senior Justice Advisor at PADF, Althea McBean. Among the considerations were JCF data on homicides, hospital violence related injury surveillance reports, synergies with zones of special operation (ZOSO), police presence and other social interventions like Project STAR.

Williams, who is the president of the Majesty Gardens New Creation Youth Club, welcomed the initiative while also suggesting ways it can be improved.

“One of my major problems is sustainability because a lot of projects come here, work excellent, and at the end of the project, they [revert],” Williams said.

“For youths that leave school and go into the community, we should have at least a five-year database on them,” he continued. “What are they doing when they leave school? What are their skills? We need a database system on that and also a skill bank because most of the development they are doing, they are not really involving the youth.”

McBean indicated that sustainability by retraining leaders and passing on the information was a key part of the project.

Beatriz Quintero, Senior Programme Manager at PADF promised, “These interventions will target some of the root causes and violence while simultaneously equipping families, youth, and the community with tools and skills necessary for a stable, healthy environment and the development of social resilience. Training of the JCF and other stakeholders in crime prevention through environmental design will empower local actors and additional resources to prevent and mitigate crime and violence.”

The atmosphere in the room was one of hope and partnership as police and community members committed themselves to working alongside each other for the success of the programme.

Serita Ross, Vice President of the Norwood Community Development Commission, said she hoped the programme could take the community from a “three” to a “seven” on the scale of violence prevention.

“Being here is one of our goals, it’s going to be magnificent. CPTED is not a programme, it’s a different way of thinking, the way forward,” she said.