Trends in Urban Crime and Violence in Kingston, Jamaica
Sherrian Gray
Case study prepared for
Enhancing Urban Safety and Security:
Global Report on Human Settlements 2007
Introduction:
This case focuses on examining criminal activity in Jamaica, specifically on the country’s capital city, Kingston. Over the past thirty years, there has been a general increase in rates of serious violent crime in Jamaica, particularly within but not exclusively the Kingston Metropolitan Area (which includes Kingston, St. Andrew and urban St. Catherine), as well as, the country’s second city Montego Bay has experienced increases in crime. This case however will examine specific conditions in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) relative to types of crime and the possible explanatory factors such as unemployment, socio-economic conditions and migration that may contribute to crime. It will also highlight examples of the Jamaican Government’s efforts to tackle crime and violence in the country.
Justification: Why Kingston is a good case study for crime in Jamaica
Kingston has the highest rate of murder of the three major urban areas in Jamaica. Over the past three decades there has been a general increase in murders in Jamaica; the country’s murder rate was 8.1 per 100 000 in 1970. By 2002, the rate moved to 40 per 100 000 and by 2005, it had risen to 64 per 100 000 population, placing Jamaica among nations with the highest murder rates in the world1 . Between the periods 1998 and 2005, the Jamaican police reported 8993 murders; approximately 76 percent of those murders occurred in the Kingston Metropolitan Area.2 In this corresponding period (1985 – 2005) there was an increase in the total crimes3 reported to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Over the years, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) has responded through several initiatives and has produced several reports that examine cause and effect of crime and violence on the country. These reports highlight the collapse of the family structure, decaying community life, socio-cultural and economic conditions as the predominant contributors to the decline of the Jamaican way of life.4
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1 Jamaica Constabulary Force: Police Crime Statistics
2 Murder totals do not include all homicides in Jamaica, specifically; killings by the police, armed forces and security guards are excluded.
3 Total crimes represent all crimes reported to the police.
4 Numerous reports have been produced by the Government of Jamaica addressing the issue of crime in Jamaica. These reports include the Report of the National Committee on Crime and Violence (Oct. 2001); Report of the National Committee on Political Tribalism (1997); Report of the National Task Force on Crime (Wolfe Report, 1993); Social conflict and Reform Project (June 2000) and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Violent Crime and Reduction in Kingston (January 2001).
Conclusion: Lesson to Be Learned
One of the primary lessons to be learned from the Kingston experience is that with the right combination of effective policing and community collaboration it is possible to reclaim even extremely volatile communities. It should be noted that these programmes cannot be applied as a whole to all other urban areas, as these programmes have not been assessed. However, the approach used can be duplicated by other urban areas using the following principles:
• Crime prevention approaches must operate at the grass roots level, where the common citizen can see, feel and react to issues. Generally, Jamaica had success at the tactical and conceptual levels but it was not felt by the citizenry;
• Utilize a prescriptive approach rather than reactive approach which fails to attack the root of the problem. The community needs must be assessed through consultations with key stakeholders and solutions determined with input from relevant stakeholders;
• Infrastructure must be implemented to accommodate mainstreaming of policing and programmes. For example, the inner city housing project is constructing structures which will allow for easier policing and maintenance.
• The engagement of community structure in all levels of planning and development. To ensure the successful implementation of policing strategies and social intervention programmes/ initiatives, communities must buy-in into the process, and be recognized as partners in maintaining their own security.
• Investing in human capital- many social interventions programmes such as CSJP and other international finding projects have found investing in the individual bears greater fruit than investing in structures. Evaluating investment in persons is difficult; however it serves as reinforcing the work of social intervention programmes, in countries that face economic and social challenges like Jamaica
In conclusion, an evaluation of these social intervention programmes implemented in Kingston in the immediate or short term would be premature. Follow-up and continued evaluation of the programmes will be more fruitful as strategies must respond to dynamism of Kingston’s crime landscape.
References
Address by the Most Hon. P.J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica to the Joint Session of the St. Lucian Parliament on July 1, 2004.
Harriott, A. (2000) Police and Crime Control in Jamaica, Problems of Reforming ExColonial Constabularies, University Press of the West Indies
Jamaica Constabulary Force: Police Statistics
Lemard G. et al: Violence in Jamaica: An Analysis of Homicides 1998 – 2002 in Injury Prevention 2006; 12:15-18
National Committee on Crime and Violence Report, October 31, 2001
PEU Submission: A Village Raises its child- May 2006: Daily Gleaner
Planning Institute of Jamaica (2006) Economic and Social Survey
Planning Institute of Jamaica (1990) Survey of Living Conditions
Sinclair, Glenroy: (2004) All Out Assault- “Operation Kingfish” to Target Dons, Gangs:
Wednesday, October 20, 2004- Daily Gleaner
Sinclair, Glenroy: “Kingfish targets a dozen major gangs’: Tuesday, October 26, 2004: The Daily Gleaner
SouthEast Regional Health Authority/ Ministry of Health (2006) Public Health Inspectors
population estimate for KMA surveillance survey.
Stone, C. (1987) Crime and Violence: Socio-Political Implications. University Press, West Indies
UNICEF and UNPA (Final Draft: September 2001): “Anywhere yuh be, yu not safe”: Adolescents in Jamaica
UNICEF JAMAICA (2001): A Situational Analysis of Women and Children. Kingston, Jamaica
Disclaimer: This case study is published as submitted by the consultant, and it has not been edited by the United Nations. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding its economic system or degree of development. The analysis, conclusions and recommendations of the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme or its Member States.
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