In 1976, I was a child and had reason to visit an elementary school in Florida.

The entire school was air-conditioned and indoors.

Even as a child I found this odd. As an adult I still do. They had enough land to build their’s like we do our’s.

Remember the energy crisis was during this era. Years later I understand and accept that as a First World country they can afford to waste energy like this and we cannot.

As I look on the crisis that is being faced in the cash transit industry, I see an issue that to me begins in the application of First World standards and practices to Third World environments. Let’s start with the issue of street banking.

Our banks, many or most of them have become cashless. They have moved cash to ABM machines that they have generously placed islandwide. So in effect they have moved their cash business out of their buildings and onto the street.

This type of activity could probably work in Denmark or Sweden, but our environment cannot accommodate street banking, as we have one of the most dangerous crime environments in the world.

This, I might add, they have done at a time in our history that the law prohibits the possession of amounts significantly below one million dollars cash, or even to do a business deal with that amount.

So now they have us over a barrel. We have to have an account to save our money. The mattress is no longer an option.

Well, I guess the street banking risk comes at a benefit of lower labour costs that they have passed on to us?

‘Naw’, don’t even harbour the thought. I haven’t seen that in my statement.

So recently and tragically the cash transit teams have come under attack. Well, I guess Indecom and the human rights lobby team are happy that none of the robbers and killers have been shot during the committal of their blood-letting. Well, at least someone is happy.

These attacks are a perfect example of what happens when you apply First World practices to Third World environments, or even more relevant, when you create practices that your crime environment can’t accommodate.

The same way that our crime environment does not facilitate street banking is the same way it cannot accommodate delivery of money to cash transit machines spread across Jamaica.

Money in a war zone like where we live has to be delivered in an isolated zone, inside of a building that the armoured unit drives into.

The current model is reasonable, four-man armed teams in armoured units is pretty much world standard for money movement.

However, when this type of kill and retrieve attack starts you can’t function unless you have cover that you can’t achieve in a glass ABM machine housing.

For this type of environment to continue to exist you are going to need at every point that deliveries are to take place the installation of ballistic cover that an advance team can set up behind and position themselves to repel an attack by gunmen.

This could be something as developed and expensive as steel barricades 10 feet long by five feet tall, or as cheap as sand bags.

Sounds like a war zone? Well I warned you that the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and the Indecom Act would bring us here. You didn’t listen!

We constantly apply various acts and practices that we borrow from other countries, this without really learning why they can accommodate these standards that we can’t. Let’s look at a few examples.

The United States has a murder rate of five per 100,000. This is because of a few factors, one of which is in that environment there are consequences for actions.

Does this exist because they are more committed than us? No. This exists because in their environment, practicality exists.

Let me give you some examples.

If you are a serial rapist and have been convicted on several occasions you cannot introduce that habit and practice of taking sex by force in our legal environment. If you do, the case ends.

In the US you can. The whole rap sheet can be brought before the court.

In the US you can wave the right to a lawyer and confess. In Jamaica you can’t take a confession without a lawyer.

Bear in mind, lawyers usually advise their client to shut up.

This ability to take a statement from the murderous fool before the brightest guy in the class arrives is the fundamental basis of their clear-up rate.

There is a story for every environment that has lower crime rates.

In Cuba, they don’t commit crimes because once law enforcement wants you in jail you are going there. It’s that simple and no sharply dressed lawyer can help you.

This is the same with Singapore you all think so much of, and China, Vietnam and a few other countries that rubbish the rights of killers to kill.

The secret of their success is the right to detain without laying charges.

Do they have it because they are wicked or power mad? No. They have it so that they can combat killers in their environment. They do what is necessary.

Does this allow for political repression? Yes, it does. Is it worth it? Ask the family of the slain guard at Portmore Pines.

We have to stop borrowing practices from other environments and look on our own dynamic.

We have to concern ourselves more about the rights of the law abiding citizen and less about the rights of killers.

We also need a solution to this new nightmare of bloodshed against our cash couriers. This solution needs to be infrastructure paid for by banks. This is the only way the attacks will stop.

Nothing else will work.

This must not be paid for by us the customer. It cannot always be all about them and their soul-serving bottom line.

Accepting your reality and a practical assessment of your circumstances is the most important tool in your solution tool box.

As one group is brought to justice another will rise up and the attacks against the cash transit teams will continue. You have to make a decision that is in keeping with our reality.

It’s that simple.

Feedback: drjasonamckay@gmail.com