Rick Lowe
There is intense criticism of the job the government is doing about crime. Obviously this anxiety is heightened with every new murder or robbery etc.
But let's dig a little deeper and consider what has been done in the last couple years.
- The Commissioner of Police has been replaced.
- The Assistant Commissioner of Police has been replaced.
- Numerous senior officers have been retired.
- Millions of dollars have been spent for new equipment and vehicles.
- The Bail Act was revised and,
- If I'm not mistaken a new Commodore of the Defence Force was appointed?
Cabinet is supposed to deal with policy issues and the Police Force and Judiciary are supposed to do the rest. But the general consensus is the system is broken while maybe incremental changes to improve things are taking place.
Now don't get me wrong, the government needs to be more proactive with its responses to individuals and the general public as resentment is growing in relation to crime.
But if the suggestion is the government is doing nothing to address our crime problems it seems the evidence is a little different than our anecdotal evidence?
I believe it is a societal breakdown. What do you believe?
Sure it is a societal breakdown, precipitated by a political breakdown, which has allowed a structural breakdown and judicial breakdown.
We have an antiquated prison which although designed to hold 400 inmates, currently holds 2500.
(last report issued, not by Govt but some international outfit)
The courts have totally lost their marbles and certainly the respect of decent law abiding citizens.
I know as I have talked to them both.
(!!!!!!!!)
The youth see the lethargy and pointlessness of their parents generation and lacking anything to believe in, have created their own value system.
No male continuity, therefore no structure.
We can analyze it to death, but,
we are not yet ready for our report card.
Rick, if I didn’t know any better, I would believe that you are teasing us with this one. But I won’t let my emotions get the best of me.
First, yes crime is a societal breakdown. We have lost our way and lost a generation or more. No short term fix here, and I don’t expect the govt to fix it.
Second, I fully support the police force, with the exception of the bad apples, which we will always have amongst us.
Third, the current adminstration has always been very supportive of the Police, providing them with equipment, etc. I fully support this.
Now, when we have someone who commits multiple crimes, what good is the police force to drag them before the courts again to add to the backlog of cases and the criminal to end up on bail.
– What has the govt done to increase the capacity of the courts?
– What has the govt done to increase the number of judges?
– What has the govt done in signing death warrants?
– Every once in a while we hear about a new iniative to crack down on traffic offences, high crime spots, etc then it fizzles away. No consistent approach.
– Are we policing the illegal numbers business yet?
– What is the use of a new AG and DPP, when you have the same number of judges having to hear thousands of backlogged cases?
– Just the other day the Junkanoo Minister was trying to pin the blame on defence lawyers. Was this an admission that there were loopholes to be fixed? As they say in the US, Obama can’t keep blaming Bush, well the FNM can’t keep blaming the PLP.
And finally, I did not realize that the govt had revised the Bail Act. I know this was promised in the last speach from the Throne. I must have missed this. Can you point in the right direction?
Yes society has failed, but this cannot be a license to allow a small minority to run rampant on the rest of us. These individuals must be punished and punished harshly. There are two many that have risen from the worst conditions that society has to offer and they have not opted on a life of crime.
And once a crime is committed, no matter the reason, if it is not the Governments’s responsibility to ensure that Justice is administered, then who is responsible?
Stevie Wonder can see that justice has collapsed in this town. So don’t let a new Commissioner or new police cars fool you. This only means that the criminal being chased down for the third time will have a nicer drive to the cell.
I will close by thanking the hard men and women of the Police Force who risk their lives everyday fighting the same battle and catching the repeat offenders. They must be discouraged.
Thanks Jerome:
No it was not intended to be funny, although I wish we could make light of the crime that is going on, but it’s far too serious.
What I am noticing with everything I look into these days is we have a very serious issue within the civil service. And it does not appear to be improving.
We can pass all the laws we want. We can appoint all the judges we want etc, etc, but I don’t think we will see an improvement in the near term as a result of the wider society.
We’ve had far too many years of neglect.
Far too many years of failing education.
Far too many years of no family.
Get my drift?
Maybe when education is sorted out???
And to top it off government continues to require more and more people and look at the education level of the pool they’re drawing from.
So I’m pessimistic.
I also recently commented that I also
missed the “revised Bail Act”. I’d
like to see it…
Hi AGR:
Didn’t that include the amendment when they reduced the number of jurors to nine (9)?
I can’t remember what else though.
@ Rick. I agree with your comment Rick. We are in such serious trouble that are only short term solution is at a minimum, to place harsh punishment and penalties on repeat offenders. We have no other short term solution. And one other point – What is happening with the electronic bracelet monitoring for criminals that the glorified Mininster of National Security promised almost two years ago? I guess he will blame this on the PLP. But what do you expect, when people think you are not performing.
i agree with your comment as well Rick and thank you for sparking the light that will eventually lead to us regaining our pride in the way we and others view our nation.
my take is simple.
hold all politican to book when during elctions they make grand promises. if they are not fullfilled have them pay back half the money they got for four years of un fullfilled promises. 2. pay teachers and police men and woman higher than government officials, as their jobs are far more important and stressfull. they don’t need to be stressed out over how they will pay there their bills and mark all those books when they go home to rest. abd the police dont need to be thinking bout how much paperwork he/she have to do.
as the saying goes,”prevention is better than cure.
give higher salary incentives to both teachers and police officers for them going the extra mile in helping to make changes in the lives of individuals.
teachers will be arked by students and policemen will be marked by how many youths he or she has rehabilitated and turned away from crime.
more money is the incentive.
i would gladly pay NIB the extra to achieve this. and i will also ask those people who come to live here to get involved in the financing of this venture.
revise the education system is a must.
there should be a class on sence and manners.
there should be a history class showing how we have declined. and the causes of it. also showing foxhill prison as part of a deterant. put some hidden camras in there and show it to students in school.
teach them what will happen if they get a criminal record. how they wont be employed ever.
stop looking at individual segments of who is to blame. we are all to blame. and we must must all take part in fixing it.
We are a nation of empty laws and totally void when it comes to justice..
When governments learn that WE are the ones in control and that they are supposed to do what we tell them to do rather than them telling us what they are going to do, we will continue to have the problems that we are having…
They only seem to USE us when it’s convenient for them!!! We need more people power!!
No, I can’t blame the government for the crime, but I sure as hell can blame them for not dealing with it.Anyone with a lick of sense can see that Turnquest is not the man for the job, he could not even move the union off of bay street ! Ferguson of the union should have been arrested for blocking the street & let the chips fall where they may.That is why nothing is done about the situation, its the system.Get caught with a joint & you go to jail, murder someone & your out on bail.By damn, thats whats wrong & if the government had any thought of “Fixing” this problem, it would have been done,period.What good are all the cars & equipment if the police in them are not paying much attention.Start by dealing with the small & the big will fall in place.