Crack down on criminals

THE EDITOR, Sir: THE PRIME minister must put on his ‘big boy’ pants and declare martial law.

Jamaica needs to increase penalties for illegal gun possession, offer appealing rewards for turning in an illegal weapon, and do random housesearching of suspected criminals.

In fighting terrorism in the Middle East, US soldiers went door to door to search the homes of suspected terrorist. We need surveillance cameras in strategic places in the major cities. New York has done this with tremendous success.

We need a living wage and government-issued housing subsidies for the police to make it less likely that they will take bribes. The country needs to enact an anti-violence education programme in schools to stop the glorification of violence in our culture.

Expatriates like me are scared to visit and invest in Jamaica. This is bad for the country longterm. Only a comprehensive reduction in crime will change this.

For the young women being assaulted by taxi drivers, advise them to take a picture of the car’s licence plate before getting in and texting or emailing this to a friend or relative. Consequently, if this person goes missing, the police will have a suspect or person of interest to investigate.

We are praying every day that God will bless us and help bring a resolution to this travesty. GARY POTTINGER chynie939@gmail.com