A FACT of life in Jamaica is that the good pay for the bad. Theft is something we all encounter on a regular basis, and has even become the 'norm'. Something - whether it is your car, cellphone, tax dollar, favourite socks - or lunch will go missing. We accept this theft largely because we all believe a little in Robin Hood, and it is just a little redistribution of wealth. However, as is the case with most indiscretions, theft in Jamaica has escalated out of control.

A proper analysis of the effects of theft in Jamaica should be done. I decided to do a check on my life and see to what extent I was paying for the sins of others. The obvious cases are the Jamaica Public Service, where I pay for the illegal connections of the poor and the very rich, likewise National Water Commission, where I pay for 'stolen' water that is freely running into the streets in the inner cities, and into the businesses of the upper class. In tackling a bank executive about the high credit-card rates, and how uncompetitive they are on a world scale, he offers as an explanation that we have some of the highest rates of credit-card fraud in the world. The rates simply reflect this risk.

Paying because of fraud

My car insurance was up for renewal. When I did the math, despite a good no-claims bonus, the cost of my insurance would only be realistic if I was going to wreck my car every eight years, something I don't plan to do. When I tackle the insurance broker about these rates, the high cost of insurance fraud is a contributor. The complicated process of making a long-distance call is a reminder of the real problem of Jamaicans' record for telecommunications fraud. In fact, we are blacklisted on many overseas telecommunications providers and our rates are among the highest in the world. Why? Fraud.

A trip to the supermarket that ends with the humiliating and time-consuming process of having my bags searched and my bill checked is yet another way I pay for the sins of others. The signs that suggest that this is done for my protection only insult my intelligence; instead, I am held up and searched to see if the cashier and I are in some scheme where some of the goods are just ceremoniously passed across the conveyor belt into my bags and then out the door. Working in the fast-food industry taught me that most of the theft did not occur out the back door but right across the front counter.

So, every facet of my life is encumbered by theft, and the bottom line is that it costs me. In fact, it costs each and every legitimate customer, because when there is fraud, businesses simply protect their margins by increasing their costs. The cost of living in Jamaica is directly affected by the cost of the security used to prevent theft and the cost of the theft that does not get prevented. Businesses, however, have a responsibility to their customers to be vigilant and to protect their honest customers. However, from the level of governance, a full assessment of the cost of fraud to the law-abiding Jamaican should be tackled.

Playing it safe is stupid

Quite simply, law-abiding Jamaicans will not continue to support their dishonest peers; they will either figure that if you can't beat them, then join them, or they will fin sources for their needs.

I am (believe it or not) conservative. I am the type to put my money in a bank, use mainstream proven utility providers, and have comprehensive insurance coverage; but Jamaica has taught me where playing it safe is just stupid. If you do things properly then you will only, as a politician once put it, "get shafted!"