A MODEL community policing and services centre in the troubled Grants Pen area of the capital city, now opened for business, has been more than five years in the making.The centre has its genesis in the efforts of the American Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica (AmCham) and its Executive Director Becky Stockhausen to have the U.S.-based Police Executive Forum (PERF) conduct a study on finding solutions to Jamaica's out-of-hand crime situation. The 2001 PERF Report recommended, among other things, the construction of a model police station to improve the physical environment and police community relations in one community.
Central planks of any successful crime control plan have to be improved community policing and the improvement of social conditions in crime-ridden communities. But even without the special need for social intervention as part of a crime reduction strategy, the Government of Jamaica owes its citizens far better access under more humane conditions to the public services provided by the state. Referring to the services to be offered at the centre, the Prime Minister pointed to tremendous developmental benefits flowing from a replication of the model in other communities.
The establishment of the Grants Pen Community Policing Services Centre was initiated by private enterprise, with the Government a following partner. But effective policing is a fundamental duty of the state. The achievement of the goal of the National Security Strategy, recently tabled in Parliament, for collaboration among agencies of the state to provide an environment that is secure and safe and which allows Jamaicans to enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, must be led by the Government.
There are many other communities in the capital city suffering from high crime levels and years of neglect of infrastructure and services which could benefit from a replication of the Grants Pen model. But let us not overlook the rest of the country. There are many other townships with similar profiles and needs. USAID has expressed a firm interest in supporting the development of other integrated service centres. This support, no doubt, would be welcomed by parish capitals, especially those with significant crime problems, and should not be overlooked in the search for new locations to replicate the Grants Pen model.
At the same time, we want to warn against the old habit of building with aid money, opening with fanfare, but not maintaining with domestic Government financing. AmCham, USAID and local private sector partners cannot be expected to provide the resources and the monitoring required to make the model centre survive and work well.
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