Commentary: Caribbean Crime Paraglider – Sligoville Mass Killing
Originally published by South Florida Caribbean News Read the original
CAYMAN ISLANDS – My non policeman father arrested a mad Englishman in a paraglider that mistakenly landed on his farm in southern Belize after it flew over miles of jungle before running out of gas. He jumped to the conclusion that the man was part of the Mexican cartel running drugs. Then he took him to the local police station at gun point.
I had tried to reason with him about the flimsy craft being incapable of weight beside the pilot. The profusion of Mexican pilots made a nonsense of someone brought from the U.K. Also, it was going in the wrong direction.
It fell on deaf ears.
This is the importance of critical thinking, deduction and calm thinking before lurching on to the first idea bus that comes along, sometimes forever. The problem about this is that common sense is uncommon especially in the political or business arena. Furthermore, there is a narcotic effect that blinds old traditional thinking not on crime prevention but law enforcement only.
Sligoville Mass Killing
There is a clear distinction with the latter involving many killings and hundreds of bullets fired in the occasional shootout at traumatized children, who beg to work with the police, before being shot. This has happened such as the Sligoville mass killing, and the alternative of crime prevention should be considered.
There has been a police declaration of events without explanation as to why two young officers died from an operation leadership point of view. There is the version of the relatives of the dead men. Additionally, the police oversight body Indecom will have the final say in due course, or the courts.
There has been a continuum of killing criminals for decades in Jamaica much to the approval of many sectors of society. This does not happen in a reasoned fashion, but a knee jerk reaction to the last murder, burglary or rape. The government and police may have lowered the murder rate. However, police killings are up.
Police Oversight
It would be helpful if the Jamaican government or the police oversight, Indecom, disabused any contrary idea that the same police officers were involved in multiple fatality incidents to preclude the death squad memories of old. History is replete with instances of such groups going on to political assassinations, also the dangerous territory.
The Keith Clarke mistaken killing revisited.
The military should not be involved in law enforcement but they and their influence are everywhere in the present government. History is replete with instances of military officers cannibalising democracy, in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Beware.
It seems to have escaped the attention of the virtual policy makers that there is an inexhaustible supply of criminals for street justice, arrests, courts and prison. There is a deeper reasoning necessary for sustainable solutions available but it is not as sexy as the circulation of dead men on social networks. Moreover, announcements from upon high excite the masses.
The current fixation is on the very expensive detection of crime and criminals using most of the available resources. It is not on the prevention of crime by any means necessary.
A subsidiary problem is that it is well known that the middle management of the Jamaican police shy away from operations and the consequent Indecom oversight investigations which can impede promotions. Many ranking officers are unknown to Indecom, having successffully avoided operational exposure.
This is how a young corporal led the Sligoville operation that ended in his death. Insufficient leadership on the ground until the media arrived. Disfunctional leadership at the highest level overseeing the lowest level, must be held responsible.
If not, the head of these political appointments should make way for fresh leadership.
There was also the unfortunate timing of the Police Credit Union rare treat for retired police officers at the same time as Sligoville, of medicine and a small, token gift of cash. This can provide no confidence for serving police officers who must demand proper treatment and support after service.
It has not been present.
Lowering Crime
The Jamaican author Malcolm Gladwell in his latest book on crime puts great weight on the concept of extensive police and political intervention in conflict to lower crime. Not as exciting as shoot outs but it may be worth a try given the consistent failure of other ideas. Politicians and police should listen to his widely available thoughts.
Policy makers should look from a paraglider, or drone, before fixing evolutionary policies.
There were no tuxedos or galas in Sligoville.
As the good book says: Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth do you not perceive it?
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