How to kill the crime monster

THE EDITOR, Sir:

TThis is an open letter to the Prime Minister. HE SOLUTION to shutting down the murderous rampage that has gripped Jamaica is not as difficult as it might seem.

The secret is to first of all ‘just do it’, and second, to understand that only by capturing and punishing severely those who are hell-bent on chaos and destruction is truly the best and only way to stop the madness. When a man knows that he will be caught — and caught quickly — he will certainly think more than twice about shooting and looting, or even of having an illegal weapon in his possession.

Here is the plan, which I call the $500-million solution, simply because it will cost approximately $500 million to solve the immediate problem. We have had approximately 650 murders since the start of this year with an average of some two to three murders committed at a time; I would say we probably are looking for about 500 murderers. Don`t tell me that we don`t have the money, because when we needed $600 million to quickly start bushing all sorts of rubbish before the last local government elections, this amount suddenly appeared.

The suggested immediate solution is to assign 100 men in a special elite squad of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Call them ‘The Bounty Hunters’ or what you will. Their only job would be to hunt down every person wanted for murder or shooting, or those who are known gang leaders. For every one of those persons whom they capture and bring in alive, they would immediately be awarded a million dollars.

They would receive half a million dollars for those who resisted and were shot and killed.

We must provide these brave men and women of the JCF with a serious incentive to go after those murderous criminals, and they must be paid with alacrity for the sacrifice that they are prepared to make. I promise you that once we start catching those that have been murdering women and entire families, capturing those who have been wreaking havoc and terrorising our country; once we start sending some of those deviants to the bone yard, we will have a safer and more secure Jamaica in less than 90 days.

THE NEXT STEP

I promise you that, should this first initiative not be sufficient to stop the carnage and disrespect for law and order, the next step should be to punish the next of kin, families and friends of those who aid and assist those murderous animals.

We would most definitely send the message that enough is enough and that we, the good people of Jamaica, have decided that we are no longer going to sit by and cower in fear of those who are determined to destroy our beloved Jamaica.

To those in authority who are afraid, for whatever reasons, to make the tough decisions and take the steps necessary to do what is required, I say, “When good men and women do nothing, evil will flourish” — and evil is flourishing. MICHAEL C. MOYSTON Montego Bay jahspeed@hotmail.com