5-year crime plan

Bunting aims for less than one murder per day by 2017

BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A National Security Policy to tackle the country's ballooning crime rate with an intent to reduce murders from the current three per day to less than one over the next five years is to be made public next month, National Security Minister Peter Bunting announced yesterday.

The announcement comes in the wake of police statistics which show that 165 persons have been murdered in the first seven weeks of this year, 30 more than the corresponding period last year.

But according to Bunting, the plan is to reduce crime to first world levels by 2017.

For this to be achieved, Bunting said, the murder rate will have to fall from the 41 per 100,000 ratio in 2011 to 12 per 100,000.

This, he added further, would result in the maximum number of murders being 321, which would be less than one per day.

"We are now slightly over three murders per day, which means we need to reduce murders by 134 per year over the next five years," Bunting told journalists at a special Jamaica House Press Briefing in Kingston.

Bunting said the People's National Party Government had developed a national security policy just prior to demitting office in 2007, but this was never implemented when the Jamaica Labour Party Administration took over.

However, he said the current crime situation in the country has rendered the 2007 document useless, hence the need for a new policy.

While a major component of the policy will be to go after the proceeds of crime, Bunting said social interventions will be made in communities dominated by criminals.

The gang strategy, he said, has been to confront the gangs and try to take charge of the community when law enforcement drives out the gangs.

"But the hold was for a relatively short period of time and we want to change that to more than just confronting the gangs but dismantling them and the difference is not only will you clear and hold, but you have to build the communities so there is not a receptive environment for those gangs to return," Bunting said.

Speaking to a broad anti-gang strategy, the minister said while the plan is to identify the hardcore gang members and confront them, this has to be balanced with another softer intervention to reach potential recruits and those on the periphery.

A strategy to tackle this will be the deployment of local police officers to communities and the roll-out of an anti-gang media campaign.

Another initiative will be a Community Safety Corp Programme which will target at-risk youth for enlistment into a cadet-type programme aimed at re-socialising them.

The Citizens Security and Justice Programme will also be expanded from 39 communities to 55 with majority of the new ones being rolled out in the St Catherine North division.

However, the policy cannot come soon enough for law enforcement officials as the police intensify their operations in a number of troubled communities.

Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington told the press briefing that an assessment of gang conflict across the country shows that there are 42 active gang conflicts currently taking place in nine police divisions.

Each of these gang conflicts, he said, has the potential to generate violence and murders in the community.

"The police and military resources are focused on trying to contain many of these conflicts to prevent further escalation of violence," the commissioner said, adding that there is a high concentration of activities now going on in the St Catherine North division, mainly around Spanish Town and, to a lesser extent, in St James around the challenged communities outside Montego Bay.

In addition to containing the violence to prevent further escalation and to assure some level of security for the citizens, Ellington said the police are denying the criminal gang members freedom of movement and action within the communities by saturation, targeted raids and vehicle checkpoints.

"We are tracking them wherever they go so we can effect arrest of those who have been displaced from the zones of high operation," he said.

Some of these operations, he said, have led to significant arrests with 60 persons being detained on Monday, some of whom were fingered in recent murders in St Catherine.

"We also made significant arrests of gang members in Kingston and elsewhere who fled the Spanish Town Area in the immediate aftermath of the upsurge in criminal activities," he informed.

Another strategy being deployed in the troubled Spanish Town and Montego Bay communities is the establishment of permanent police posts.

He announced that the police have established permanent presence in Gravel Heights and urged the residents who fled their homes to return.

"We are appealing to residents who may have fled because of the violence to return and occupy their homes because we are going to be there for as long as it takes to build back community resilience," he said.

Similar presence has also been established in Shelter Rock and Quarry in St Catherine, and Tucker, Granville and Rose Heights in St James.

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COMMENTS (13)

howie J
2/22/2012

3.367 murders per day adds up to roughly 1229 murders per year or 6145 murders over a 5 year period. Since 165 Jamaicans have already been murdered in the first 7 weeks of this year, we should expect another 1064 more murders before the end of the year. Mr. Bunting’s plan is to be implemented at some future date, so until then, we should expect no reduction of the current murder rate.
Over the 5 year period, of the 6145 projected murders, Mr. Bunting’s will be able to save about 2010 while roughly 4135 will not be lucky.
That 5 year timeline is by design. Mr. Bunting’s plan is only to secure his re-election in exactly 5 years. He doesn’t see the current murder rate, which is stifling the economy and destroying families, as an emergency.

Tone Bag
2/22/2012

It seems the PNP whilst in opposition were not developing policies to challenge nor support the Gov which would have enabled them to hit the ground running when they assumed office. It means that there are delays and are now creating policy on the hoof in a rush. In addition to these measures announced they need to reform the influence of the lesser gangsters & ex dons similar to the integration of terrorist in government like IRA & ANC & must offer better protection for witnesses and informers.

Lloyd Blair
2/22/2012

By the time this plan is announced, at the earliest, another 24 individuals are projected to be murdered. So why wait? You've had a plan since 2007. J'cans need actions. And blaming the other party is lame.Get on with the peoples business or you will be voted out.
As long as j'cans benefit we do not care who came up with the plan!!!

Tajai Grant
2/22/2012

A very good and effective plan and this is not new, i have heard these words from the PNP before. if Bunting is serious he needs to 1st bring the numbers of personnel in the security forces up to the amount recommended by the studies done on crime. The security forces are willing and ready but they dnt have the manpower, vehicles and much other needed resources. That is why they can only be effective in short bursts and in few locations at a time.

Sonny Black
2/22/2012

What another Crime Plan, oops i forgot this is a PNP Crime Plan which is different fromthe JLP Crime Plan. So while Jamaica is burning with a murder rate on the level with Afghanistan we alternate between the Green and Orange Crime Plans and not to mention the Tourist Minister who was surprised with the drop in visitors arrival to our murder island. Its a pity the criminals cant tell the difference between the different crime Plans.

christopher Isaacs
2/22/2012

Hopefully what is being rumored here will not become a reality. Commissioner Ellington is the most successful CP who has held that post in decades and we must not do anything to change that. The police should be given the available resource including a head in whom they have confidence. The previous commissioner never commanded the confidence of his subordinates and it manifested itself in runaway crime and violence. No one can characterize this commissioner of being politically colored.

christopher Isaacs
2/22/2012

The stark taring fact is that there exists a round hole square peg situation that exist here. P.B should not have been the Minister of National Security. When did we come to this point when we believe that anyone can be thrown anywhere to be head of a ministry. This picture does not depict an air of confidence. I urge the gov to make a switch with the Peters before it is too late. A runaway crime situation will undermine the Finance minister's effort anyhow, the obvious need to be done now!

Dan smith
2/22/2012

What happen when the security forces take down TG gunmen was running for cover because they did not have the support of the politicion at that time, now it look like they are getting back their support, If your plan does not include locking up those politicion who are in bed with gunmen your plan is no good.

carlos king
2/22/2012

This is kind of concerted effort by the policy arm and operational arms is a welcome development. But it will not work if this Jamaica House Press Briefing is a one-off- palliative- for-the-cameras-only event. Until crime and violence and murder is reduced significantly, both the Minister of National Security and the Security Heads MUST hold weekly press briefings to up the country and alley the fears of the citizenry. And why was Mr. Chuck- Opposition spokesman for National Security not there?

fall mouth
2/22/2012

Why can’t ppl be invited to testify before a House Committee or a cmttee of the whole House, similar to what happens in the U.S. as to their ideas for implementation into the Plan? These hearings could be closed if need be.
It is a good idea to go after the proceeds of crime and where dons are “giving” to the community; they should be targeted and made to explain where the income is coming from. The Law should require that businesses paying extortion money to report it. They must take some responsibility. The govt. also needs to look at conspicuous spending, especially where the earnings are not immediately evident. The I.T depart. could act here too. Crime must not pay.
Most importantly the people must not believe that there are two laws, one for the poor and dispossessed and the other for the rich and privileged.

wanda woeman
2/22/2012

Instead of employing more policemen/security we should ensure that those we have become more technology savvy. For example each cop on the traffic beat should be provided with hand held computers which can communicate with a central data base to see if those stopped have any outstanding warrants. We need a DNA and fingerprint data base for this.
It is no use us insisting on our rights and also complaining about the level of crime (including murder) at the same time. It cannot be both. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. We need inputs from various levels of the society (including the diaspora and the people in New York who seemed to have done it successfully ) and not just a few people coming up with the Plan.

wanda woeman
2/22/2012

Any crime plan must have at its forefront the installation of more CCTVs. As a matter of fact the law should be that any place catering to the public, and of a certain size, be equipped with these cameras and that tapes are available to law enforcement for a prescribed period. These cameras should also be in plazas, with the proprietors teaming up to pay the cost. Government should set the example by having them installed in their buildings. It can’t be that we cannot afford it. IT IS THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO AFFORD IT, I am sure that int’l agencies will assist us in this regard! Insurance premiums would also be less.

2/22/2012

Yet another set of grand announcements, I will believe it when I see it.

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