Time To Fix The System Block By Block - Vernon Derby

External Body to Review The JCF

It's now time to have an external body do a comprehensive and thorough review of the police force. Where it becomes necessary, then we should have competent persons carry out investigations into the operations of the force. We need to ask our overseas partners to supply us with the expertise to do so. INDECOM should be mandated to coordinate this effort. My legal friends can advise me if the law allows INDECOM to do this.

No Response About Gang In Trelawny

Those who have listened to me over the years have heard me talk about that gang in Trelawny and the allegations that a police officer gave a police car to a gang member to drive. Citizens had their views about how this gang got ammunition. Up until this day the senior officer who was assigned to look into this matter has not reported what action has been taken to deal with the concerns of the citizens of Trelawny.

Police Selling Ammunitions

I remember for years there was talk about police selling guns and ammunition on Munster Road in East Kingston. It took many years for us to realize it was not just a rumour. If this matter was investigated earlier it is possible that lives would have been saved, since many of these guns would not get into the wrong hands.

For gangs and Dons to have so much power in Jamaica, we need to look at where their power come from. Are they supported by the political directorate? Do they get big government contracts so they earn millions and there have significant money power?

Are these gangs supported by those who are paid to uphold the law? When I lived in East Kingston many years ago, if the police were coming in the area we would get warning about this. One former politician admitted to me that he reported a matter to a police and he was surprised to find out that the matter was not treated confidentially,

Jamaica Is In Crisis

With over 1000 murders annually for the past 30 years, with scamming literally crippling some areas of Jamaica, gang lords now controlling some communities, gang lords continuing to collect their own taxes, with possible more illegal operations than legal operations in Jamaica, then it seems to me that this is a state in crisis. Think of the amount of illegal taxis on our roads and many reports have been made about them but then no one dare touch them. The crime and specifically the murders could not have continued at the rate it is at now, if the state apparatus had not inadvertently or deliberated facilitated these crimes and the work of criminals. It seems to me that crime pays very well in Jamaica and it is big business. Crime is probably the most profitably occupation in Jamaican!!!

Who Is In Charge

I close by asking this question? Who is in charge? If no one is charge, then everybody will take charge and chaos rules.