St James needs a crime plan
The parish of St James continues to be the murder capital of Jamaica. In 2022 police statistics recorded some 194 homicides, and up to December 2 this year some 172 murders were recorded. Regrettably, notwithstanding several impositions of states of public emergency (SOEs) and zones of special operations (ZOSOs), the bloodletting continues unabated.
Montego Bay, the parish’s capital, which is also Jamaica’s tourism capital, accounts for most of these murders, including brazen acts of daylight killings in the heart of the western city, even the historic Sam Sharpe Square has not been left unscathed. As a result of this ongoing scourge, many citizens live in constant fear because criminals appear to be unafraid of the long arm of the law as they carry out their dastardly acts, which have seen women, children, and the elderly being mercilessly gunned down.
Ironically, a recent worldwide survey revealed that Jamaica was rated as one of the safest places to be on planet Earth. Needless to say most citizens in the western region scoffed at that survey result as it defies the reality on the ground. The reasoning is, however, that it must have been just tourists who were interviewed as it is safe to say that so far violent crimes against visitors have been relatively few.
This social phenomenon, though welcomed, points to the fact that in the final analysis there are, in fact, two Jamaicas, one for Jamaicans and one for the tourists. And this has been deliberately so as major stakeholders in that sector have opted for the all-inclusive concept that enable visitors to come to the island and enjoy its many attractions and amenities in a confined and secure setting. But every now and then this potent question arises: Will there come a time when the cancer of crime and violence metastasises and sinks its vicious tentacles into this fragile sector which remains the country’s number one foreign exchange earner as well as a major employer of thousands of Jamaicans?
In the meantime, another great irony staring us in the face is the fact that some of the most influential people in the Andrew Holness-led Administration hail from the parish of St James. To begin with, the Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang, who is also the deputy prime minister, is a long-serving Member of Parliament for St James North Western, which has been the epicentre of violent crimes in the parish and region.
Then there is the peripatetic Edmund Bartlett, the acclaimed minister of tourism and the Member of Parliament for St James East Central, who continues to boast about the millions of tourists coming to Jamaica and the billions of dollars that the country is earning as a result. Great going, Minister Bartlett! But is it reasonable to ask why Montego Bay, the nation’s tourism capital, is not benefiting more from tourism earnings in terms of infrastructural, social, cultural, and economic development, all of which could help to create a better quality of life for its beleaguered citizens caught up in this recurring crime wave?
A recent survey done by the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC), commissioned by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, found that concerned citizens were sympathetic towards the police, who they believe are lacking in significant resources. They also said that they did not believe the SOEs or ZOSOs were effective. In this same vein, 70 per cent of the respondents rate the police response to crime as not effective, while observing that patrols were more effective than the ZOSO strategy.
Some of the major causes of criminal violence are related to the infamous lotto scamming, which involves the contentious issue of how the spoils from this illicit activity are dispensed with among gang members; family disputes surrounding land ownership, reprisals, and the lack of meaningful, well-paying jobs. There is also the decadent social fabric which continues to plague the western city, which has over 21 squatter communities which serve as incubators for criminals.
Surely this scenario suggests that the parish needs a multifaceted crime plan that will deal with social and economic intervention, improved infrastructure relating to traffic management, the installation of cameras, great use of technology as well as equipping the police to be more mobile, fully enabled with investigative equipment and training so that they can quickly and effectively apprehend the criminals who are well armed and dangerous.
In order to achieve these and other objectives the parish needs to have a well thought out and fully resourced crime plan which should form part and parcel of an overall development plan, sadly lacking despite many false starts. What now entails is a pitchy-patchy approach to the developmental process, which, for the most part, has left Montego Bay in a most dysfunctional state.
Chang and Bartlett, with their clout, should seriously get to work to provide such a plan of action. It should be community-driven, involving the private sector — particularly the tourism and business processing industry — which stands to benefit from any such positive and productive way forward in more ways than one.
For too long the Kingston-is-Jamaica syndrome has stymied the overall development of the western city. Just look at the lack of sporting and cultural facilities, both of which can help to tame the beast of crime and violence. It is well known, for example, that when Montego Bay was doing well in football and other major sports, the youth population was less inclined to participate in antisocial behaviour.
Of significance is that the so-called tourism capital does not have a performing arts centre where talent from the region can be extensively showcased to locals and tourists alike. A comprehensive crime plan would zero in on these areas and use them as preventative means in the community’s overall crime-fighting strategies.
This writer is known for his continuing advocacy over the years with respect to the creation of a better Montego Bay and ultimately a better St James. We deserve better treatment from central government. After all, as Minister Bartlett and Prime Minister Holness continue to revel in how well the tourism industry is doing, it behoves them to give Montego Bay and St James its just deserts. Enough said!
Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 48 years. He has served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.