My comprehensive crime plan. Part 5

Continuing….

County – Deputy Commissioner of police.

The counties, will all be supervised by a deputy commissioner of police, who will be responsible for the following:

• Implementation of the crime fighting strategies as developed by the commissioner of police.
• Development of specific crime fighting strategies to deal with crimes within each parish within these counties.
• Work with the NSBI to target and get convictions of gang leaders and members, drug traffickers as well as corruption amongst members of the police force.
• Recruit and development of the elite tactical rapid response team (ETRT) which will allow them to carry out their mandate of taking down criminals in a swift and decisive manner, without tying up the regular members of the force.
• Traffic breaches as well as stop and search.
• Community policy through involvement in sports clubs etc.
• Assisting in the setting up of effective neigbourhood watch programs.
• Safe school policing. Give pep talks at prep and primary as well as junior high schools. We need a human face to policing.
• Manning of a rape unit to address sex crimes.
• Sex offender listing and monitoring of these felons. When they (sex offender) move the parish officer must be noted of the movement from one parish to the next, while the police at the local level will be made aware that a offender has moved into their area.
• Provision of a computer system to enter statement on crimes, this should be linked to larger database so information can be shared between all three counties. Criminals should not feel safe moving from one police division to the next.
• Training and development of officers within his charge. This allows for policemen to rise to various levels in the force based on performance and qualification.

Parish leader – Inspector/Superintendent.

Each parish within each county will be lead by an Inspector of police whose responsibility will be as follows:

• Carry out the tactical operations of plans developed by the deputy commissioner of police who has responsibility for the county within which that parish falls.
• Supervise the deployment of personnel to deal with specific crime fighting activities within the parish.
• Supervise the investigation of crimes and work with the local police and detectives to bring the perpetrators to trial and get a conviction.
• Work with NSBI personnel assigned to that parish to address specific issues, which are beyond the scope of law enforcement officers on the ground.
• Supervise the lead station officer i.e. those in charge of each station and ensure that they are executing the mandate of the force.
• Remove none performers and make recommendations for either transfer or relieving of their position as a result of lack of confidence or confidentiality. He can only recommend, he cannot remove any such officers. The reason being a corrupt parish officer could influencing the outcome of an investigation by moving an investigating officer.
• …….

My comprehensive crime plan. Part 4

In the first three sections I have sought to lay the basic framework for the implementation of sustainable crime plan.  I continue on where I left off a week ago.

 

Roles and Responsibilities.

NSBI – National Security Bureau of Investigation.

 

• Investigate and provide to law enforcement officers on the ground, tangible information that would be used to infiltrate and take down gangs and gang leaders. In addition they would provide of details of assets on these persons such that all such assets can be forfeited in the courts. This team will carry out such work with the knowledge of the County Deputy commissioner only. They will only involve local law enforcement officials as well as the elite rapid response team when its time for take down these gangsters.
• Provide information to law enforcement officials who have responsibility for drugs and gun running, so they can take out these guys with precision using the elite tactical team which is present in each of the three counties. This group will work with their counter part (FBI) in the use to coordinate such activities, prior to the “takedown”.
• Setup wiring tapping systems having successfully being able to provide the courts with such reasons that would warrant such a process.
• Investigate and provide information on corrupt police, to the section head of the police that deals with corruption within the police force. Provide such information from investigative work that will also result in forfeiture of ill-gotten gains by such persons.
• The NSBI will at times takeover investigation on the ground in any county where it may be suspected that good policing activities is being compromised by the senior officers of the JCF.
• The director of the NSBI will report to parliament on such matters of national security and shall not be subject to taking instructions from the minister of national security.
• The governor general will appoint the director of the NSBI by recommendations of the senate. He will have a fixed term not exceeding 8yrs and can only be removed by the GG on recommendations from the senate.
• The director of the NSBI is answerable only to parliament and will not take instructions from any government minister or the minister of national security.

• The National Security Council will guide the NSBI director

My comprehensive crime plan. Part 3

How do we get out of this mess?

Firstly as a people we must shun mediocrity and demand performance. We must demand that before they get our vote the sitting government must do the following.

1. Pass legislation that will allow for the impeachment of any government official who part takes part in an illegal and or unethical act.
2. Pass legislation that will allow for any sitting member of parliament, government minister, junior minister to be sanctioned, arrested an charged like any other citizen if he violates any law. The government should not be allowed to offer protection to any such government member.
3. Fast track legislation for plea bargain.
4. Fast-track legislation that will allow video evidence to be admissible in court in the event of the demise of a witness
5. Fast track legislation, which allows for forcible extraction of DNA evidence from suspects.
6. Put in place a state of the art forensic crime lab, which allows for testing of all biological samples, chemicals, and pharmaceutical for use in trials. Work with UWI Mona, and Utech to setup such a lab manned by qualified persons trained in forensic science as well as natural science.
7. Re-training of the police forensic unit, these persons must be taught how to retrieve and store crime scene evidence. These includes hair and tissue sample, clothing, shoe impression, finger prints etc. Too often valuable evidence is missed resulting in the evidence being contaminated and the suspect gets away with a crime.
8. Pass legislation, which allows for the wire tapping of anyone who may be involved in any form of illegal activity. These wire tapping could only be done having previously getting by a court order. This wire tapping process should only be allowed for a specific period of time once it can be proven that such recording can assist in the conviction of a suspect.
9. Creation of an intelligence driven unit similar to the FBI.  The governor general on recommendation from parliament will appoint the head of the bureau. The person who heads the bureau will not report to any minister of government or the commissioner of police. We should call that unit the National Security Bureau of Investigation – NSBI. This bureau will be staffed by top-notch law enforcement officers initially drawn from the military as well civilians.

They would be trained by the USA FBI, as well as the Israeli Intelligence service before being assigned to this top-notch unit. Only the very best can become a part of this elite group of law enforcement officials.

1. These folks would be based in Kingston as well as a satellite office in Montego Bay, where they will dispatch teams of persons as required to assist in various investigations in the counties.
2. We would put in place one assistant/deputy commissioner of police  who will be responsible for each of  the three counties, i.e. Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey.
3. Each parish in these counties will now be headed by a senior police officer at the rank of superintendent or inspector. The deputy commissioner will plan the crime fighting strategies for these parishes, while the inspector will carry out the operational activities.
4. Each parish will have a cadre of the following:

• Forensic specialist/scene of the crime investigators
• Detectives.
• An elite tactical rapid response team, whose main responsibilities is   to deal with cases such as kidnapping, hostage situations or any other such situations that involves taking on criminals at the scene of a crime, that normal policing cannot handle.
• The regular cops to deal with routine policing activities.
• The County will also provide police to deal with riots control as well as search and rescue and other types of activities, which would otherwise rob the policy of personnel to deal with normal policing activities.

Follow this blog for further updates….

My comprehensive crime plan. Part 2

Where are we today & how did we get here (the possible reasons)?

Over the last 10 years our crime problems have progressively gotten worse and we are now beginning to see a new brand of criminals.

These are youths whose ages ranges from  15-20, who are as ruthless as it gets and are absolutely drunk with power when they have a loaded gun in their hands.

These guys are no longer subservient to their political masters and hence cannot be turned off and on, like those in the past era; it is these who are responsible for double and triple murders in this country.

These are they guys who kill then go home to watch TV while boasting ” Yow a mi dun deh bwoy deh eno, yeah man a three duppy mi mek today. Yow brethren d bwoy a beg eno but mi just tun it on pon him and dun him”.

• We got here due to failure of successive governments to take a hard line on crime.
• We got here due to our failure to curb corruption at the customs, Inland Revenue dept, examination depot, sea and airports etc.
• We got here due to a bureaucratic systems so structured that you would have to pay to get the job done, one that you are already paying for. If you wanted to get things done quickly you have to pay a bribe.
• We got here because our politicians are answerable to no one, at least not until every five years.
• We got here because of a flawed educations system, which see us churning out more illiterates than any other time in our history.
• We got here because of irresponsible fathers (called baby faddas) and even more irresponsible women (aka baby maddas), who care more about “how dem sinting stay gud”, than being responsible parents.
• We got here because of a breakdown in family values. The community no longer grows the child.
• We got here due to the barrel child syndrome ie father/mother leaves in hope of making a better life overseas to one day send for their children. The child grows up with a friend, an uncle or grandmother and is sometimes subjected to unspeakable horrors.
• We got here because many of us, no longer cares about the guy next door,  ” cuz mi haffi eat a food man, even if you going to be the food”.
• We got here due to our failure to be good to each other.
• We got here because the cop who just graduated wants to go straight to traffic and really has no interest in good policing (that’s where is money is made).
• We got here when men in uniform sold their souls to drug traffickers, politicians and dons.
• We got here when policemen stop “ serving and protecting” and started stealing, abusing and killing the innocent ghetto yute.
• We got here because due to the failure of the police federation to deal with corrupt cops. These cops now drive fear into the heart of fellow good cops and are sometimes responsible for their (the good cop) demise in shootout with gunmen (aka rogue cops).
• We got here when the political directorate lost sight of what they were elected for and instead became focused on retaining power all cost even if it meant having their constituents in a concentration camp, held to ransom by gunmen aka dons.

• We got here due to imbeciles and incompetent people being elected as government members. These idiots have no idea how to run a cookshop much less run a country. They have collectively wrecked the country leading us on the path to be a Haiti, unless of course we “rise” up and stop them.

My comprehensive crime plan.

As with many Jamaicans, I am fedup with the crime problem plaguing Jamaica, one that is preventing growth within the country.

I am not a law enforcement officer or associated with any law enforcement organization, and hence these views are purely mine, based on my own assessment of what I believe is the genesis of the problem, and possible solutions to turn the country around.

Due to the length, I have broken it into chunks, to allow for easy reading.

Your comments are welcomed.

Part 1

The Genesis of the Problem.

Jamaica crime problem is rooted in scare benefit and resources as well as political affiliations. Our problems have been around for a long time, however in the 1970’s it took a turn for the worse during the campaign leading up to the 1980 elections.

In the period leading up to the elections, guns and bullets flowed free throughout Jamaica, particularly in the inner city communities of Kingston and St Andrew.

Politicians would drive around with guns and bullets in their car and freely distributed it to those who were aligned to their political party or would likely vote for them in the election.

Many scores were settled under the guise of politics,  as now many had guns issued by politicians which where in turned financed by the so called “bigmen” of the day.

At the end of that bloody election, the criminal gangs, which were formed to protect those political parties to which they were aligned, became disillusion and alienated by those who they fought tooth and nail for. These “soldiers” were not being given the spoils, which they thought they deserved and hence turned to drugs to provide liquidity support to finance the need for guns and bullets.

The tightened police activities at the ports plus USA& UK tough policies on gang activities such as the “yardies” and  “shower posse” resulted in a shift in gang activities from drugs movement via the usual route.

That led to the use of so called “drug” mules. These are people who would ingest the drugs and place in body cavities of use other ingenious methods to ship the drugs out of the country.

In order to get the money into the country due to acts like RICO and the Patriot act which the USA government used with great effect to deal with money laundering activities, big stage shows featuring international artist would be staged in Jamaica. The overseas acts would be paid in the USA (including their large entourage) and the “promoter” would make back his money via gate receipts and liquor sales, effectively bypassing the money laundering trap.

In addition, the government of the day opened up the “used” car market, which saw a proliferation of so called car dealers. Many of these were being financed by proceeds of the drug trade thus allowing for these funds to continue to the purchase of guns and ammunition, which flooded the inner city communities of Kingston  as well as Montego Bay.

The crime problem in Claredon really got going when large volumes of drugs started showing up in the rocky point area of that parish. On that side of the country, divers who were assigned to search the hull of ships were murdered as a result of rouge cops passing on information on these divers to gunmen. These rogue cops were unhappy with the divers who where preventing them from “eating a food”.

Suggestions to help solve the crime problem.

The Jamaican police and its commanders are absolutely clueless on what is required to bring crime under control.

Firstly, I would rather the police take a more proactive approach to solving crime verses the reactive approach that is currently taken.

Now, I think what they ought to do is to place a simple map detailing the crime hotspots in Jamaica, these include the following areas.

• Corporate Area.
• St Catherine.
• Montego Bay
• Clarendon

See Jamaica Observer article at this link, which gives greater details.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20051015T210000-0500_90482_OBS_FLASH_POINTS_OF_CRIME_.asp.

Now what the security forces should do is, to determine from the crime “hot” spots, which communities are aligned? By this I mean when a crime is committed in Trench Town for example, the criminals may move to areas of spanishtown to cool off as the know the police will be coming into Trench Town very soon.

So now we know gunmen travel between community A to B or C.

Armed with all this information, the police will conduct simultaneous surprise raids in these communities, use as much of the resources that they have available between the various arms of the police and the army.

These raids should be done prior to any reports of shooting etc to catch these guys off hand. The fact is everyone expects police raids after a surge in crime, however very few expect that when there appears to be a lull in criminal activities.

In addition to doing so, the police should seek the assistance of the local telecom companies to shut down cellular service in these communities at least 2hrs prior to the raid. This would prevent any form of communication between gang members from the area under raid, who are seeking to get assistance from other gang members in or outside of their areas.

By crippling their mode of communication this would leave them very vulnerable and it would also prevent renegade members of the security forces from passing on any information also once they are in the communities.

The actual areas that are to be targeted on the day in question should only be available to the most senior members of the police and the army, as failure to do so will result in only women and children present in the communities when the raid actually takes place.

I don’t think I need to state why, as that is already known.

Watch this blog, as I will be seeking to expand on this later

Tragedy in Jamaica Part 1

While we all agree that there is no easy fix to the problem, I think there are certain steps that we ought to be taking in trying to at least stabilize the situation.

We know for a fact that, there are lots of idle hands out there, as well as a lot of guns. We also know that those using these guns cannot afford to buy them, hence they must be financed by others.

I think it will be next to impossible to get the guns out of the hands of these guys, so we need to therefore focus on another area, which I will term as containment.

Guns cannot work without bullets. Guns can be used multiple time, but not the bullet. This leads me to believe that if we seriously focus on the supply side of the bullets we can put a serious dent into these killings. Not that the intent may not still be there, but the means would not be present to carry out the act.

How we get this done will be a very serious challenge. I am therefore proposing that the Minister of National Security do the following.

• Every barrel shipped from New York, New Jersey, Washington and Miami should be X-rayed at the point of entry. There is enough anecdotal evidence to show that bullets are coming in consumer goods in barrels.
• All large household appliance, refrigerator, stove and television, which are assigned to individuals (not companies), should be similarly X-Rayed.
• All cars imported out of the USA destined to individuals should be similarly checked.
• Use data collected from previously intercepted shipments to target areas from the USA the individual who are shipping these bullets. We should get our counterpart in the USA to assist us in this effort.
• Create a central database where the tracking of all legally imported bullets are held.
• Use database above to track individual purchase of bullets from authorized vendors. Aggressive buying by licensed firearm holders should be viewed as suspicious and thoroughly investigated.
• There should be a database  (if not already in place) a log, which tracks  receival and the issuance of bullets, to all policemen from that division, station by station, and  should be saved on a server, which is managed by persons other than the police themselves.
• After each operation all bullets returned should be logged and all spent shells collected and examined. For each bullet fired there should be a corresponding spent shell.

The above, while focused on illegal shipments coming in, also tries to focus on the legal bullets reaching into the hands of those with illegal guns.

If we can obtain a machine to sniff out illegal drugs leaving the island in very small quantities and reap major success, there is nothing to suggest that we cannot reap similar success as we look at illegal imports, which are killing countless Jamaicans.