Is Jamaica at war?

 

Mark Golding - Gleaner Photo

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20220920/golding-says-govt-spending-too-much-jdf-while-neglecting-jcf

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/are-we-at-war/

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latest-news/gunmen-invade-north-coast-hotel-rob-employee/

'War' requires the army - not the police. If we are at war, the army needs to take over the fight against these groups. Some say only the army is trained and equipped to bring the fight to these 'enemies of the state' - the gangs and there is some truth in that statement. That being said, there needs to be a longer term strategy to deal with these armed thugs.

History is replete with would-be dictators who exaggerated or manufactured a situation which they then used to seize total dictatorial powers. Hitler's Reichstag's fire secretly started by the Nazis comes to mind. If what Mark Golding says is true, why would Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness prefer the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) over the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF)? Here are some possible reasons:

  • The JCF is known to be corrupt while the JDF is seen as not corrupt.
  • The JDF is an army so it is more obedient to the Minister of Defence (the Prime Minister) than the JCF which reports to the Minister of National Security Horace Chang.
  • The JCF has a sort of union - called an 'Association' while the JDF does not.
  • The JDF is an army so it is trained and equipped mostly for combat which allows them to bring the fight to the gangs. Few in the JCF receive combat training to the JDF's level.
Therefore, on the face of it, it would seem that it is the army that should be dealing with the gangs. However, here is the rub. The JDF, not trained in law, could run roughshod over people's human rights. The killing of Keith Clark by the JDF comes to mind.

We should be careful about calling our gang problem 'a war' as that can open the door to a militarization of Jamaica with dire consequences for human rights. We already have a problem in the human rights department with the police. Jamaica does not need an army, it needs a proper police force. A properly funded, equipped and trained force with enough personnel to take on the gangs. I propose a gradual merging of the JDF with the JCF along the lines of the past merger of the Jamaica Special Constabulary Force (JSCF) with the JCF. Current members of the JDF would receive additional training in law and policing prior to the merger and retain a similar rank in the JCF when they are transferred.

A JDF/JCF merger would instantly give the JCF a huge cohort of well trained officers who could be used to set up a special anti-gang task force of some sort. Previous Prime Minister Michael Manley tried an armed community self-help group called the Home Guards which was to augment the Police. The Home Guards was run and trained by the JCF but due to political corruption at the time, the Home Guards failed. However, using the District Constable system, we can train and arm selected, screened and trained community members in gang infested communities to be undercover agents to assist the police. District Constables could also augment the police by taking over routine and static jobs such as Station Guard and guarding prisoners.

If it is true that the government is investing more in the JDF than the JCF, then I agree with Golding. In the final analysis though, we can only starve the gangs of recruits if we have alternatives for our youth in those areas where the gangs are based and recruit their members. More police alone just won't cut it.

Raymond D. Grant

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