Reforming the JCF

POLICE OFFICERS are, in many cases, citizens’ most direct contact with crimeprevention measures. As such, an effective police force is crucial to the success of many crime-reduction strategies.

With this consideration, in the early stages of the newly launched two-year enterprise, CaPRI will be providing assistance towards the development of the new Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Act, scheduled for October 2017.

This first item on the agenda will begin with the organisation of a working group of relevant and competent stakeholders, who will be responsible for providing inputs to inform a policy guideline document. Positive community-police relationships are, however, crucial in ensuring citizen collaboration in the fight against crime.

Given a certain climate of mistrust between the police and the public, and considering that effective security requires national cooperation, five public consultations will be held in Kingston, St Andrew, Portmore, Mandeville and Montego Bay to gather feedback from the public on the proposed elements of reform, before the document is finalised and shared with the minister of national security and his advisers.

While the community of August Town, with its history of violence, recorded in 2016 an impressive zero murders, the reasons behind this achievement are still to be determined. With the help of community development facilitator Kenneth Wilson (who was instrumental in the 2016 success), CaPRI will be looking at the factors which directly led to such a significant reduction in violent crime.

EXAMINING MONTEGO BAY

In another case study, the think tank will be examining the nature of violent crime in Montego Bay and neighbouring parishes. Indeed, experts have noted that the dynamics of St James and the surrounding environs are distinctly different and may very well require different control and prevention strategies. The conclusions of both studies will be used to formulate country-specific recommendations towards an effective anti-gang policy.