We are encouraged by news that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is partnering with the Jamaican Government in the development of a national organised crime strategy.

We are told that Jamaica will be the first country in the Caribbean to work with the UNODC in developing such an approach. That’s no surprise, given the alarming levels of crime here.

A release circulated this week said the development of the national organised crime strategy is “aligned to Jamaica’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC), and promotes cooperation to prevent and combat transnational organised crime more effectively”.

The project is spearheaded by a technical working group jointly chaired by the Ministry of National Security, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency. It comprises representatives from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; Financial Investigations Division; the Jamaica Defence Force; Jamaica Customs Agency; Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency; and The University of the West Indies.

Jamaica’s National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang told a technical workshop at the project launch that the Government is committed to disrupting, deterring, detecting, and prosecuting criminal elements involved in both domestic and transnational organised crime.

“Jamaica will not be a safe haven for organised criminal groups. I can assure you that this national strategy will receive the highest level of support from the Government, even as we work collectively to enhance our capacity to identify and analyse organised crime threats…” Dr Chang said.

We wait to hear more on this from Dr Chang and others actively involved in crime fighting.

Obviously, any anti-crime strategy must target the inflow of guns and ammunition, mostly originating in the United States, where ownership of a deadly weapon is made easy and straightforward. Indeed, in some sections of the United States, the gun purchaser need only be older than 18. In such circumstances, ruthless people find it relatively easy to smuggle guns not only to Jamaica but to our Caricom partners and the wider Americas region, fuelling violent crime.

Worthy of note is that the growing number and scope of gun tragedies in the United States appear to be steadily influencing public opinion towards a tightening of gun laws there. The hope must be that anti-gun sentiments in that country will also work against gun smugglers. Jamaica and its regional partners must act together at the diplomatic level to take advantage.

Locally, it seems that the use of modern technology — including surveillance cameras — is making a positive difference for crime fighters in their intelligence-gathering. We are aware of plans for rapid expansion in that regard. However, optimum efficiency must be twinned to that approach.

We remember only recently grand announcements about surveillance cameras installed in several rural towns, only for the authorities to be embarrassed when it turned out that, in Santa Cruz, the cameras were not working, since they weren’t connected to the national surveillance system, JamaicaEye.

Beyond all that, this newspaper reiterates the strong belief that crime at community and national levels will not be effectively countered without unity of purpose — with all hands on deck — led by our leaders, regardless of political stripe. Jamaicans are waiting.