PMI hails successes in war against crime
published: Monday | March 3, 2008
Members of the Peace Management Initiative, led by Bishop Herro Blair (second left), and political and police representatives tour Jacques Road in Mountain View on September 29, 2005. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
The Peace Management Initiative (PMI) was established in January 2005. Looking back, we can say that it has had best results through sustained social and cultural development programmes, partnerships with other agencies and a highly dedicated staff.
The following table sets out some of these results, the numbers in red representing the homicides prior to PMI's interventions.
The developmental programmes referred to consist of mediation meetings, skills and dispute resolution training, cultural activities, football and netball competitions, residential retreats, a mini-employment agency, small grants for group income-generating projects, counselling for those traumatised by homicide, health and opportunity fairs, leaders conferences and peace councils of corner leaders.
Bishop Herro Blair chairs a policy-making board of 16 persons, while the field staff is led by Damian Hutchinson, supported by trained social worker Berthlyn Plummer, along with other staff, liaison persons and volunteers in the communities.
ESSENTIAL ROLE
Given very limited resources, PMI's partnering policy played an essential role in some 55 communities of Kingston and St Andrew and St Catherine.
It should be noted (in respect of the table above) that the absence of numbers for the earlier years of some communities does not necessarily mean the absence of homicides. On the contrary, warfare was continuous for decades in Dunkirk and Majesty Gardens. Today, however, even the constant feuding and gunfire have diminished. The same holds for Jones Town: The 'war', which flared on Good Friday, 2004, is at an end.
In Mountain View, a composite of seven communities, the number of homicides declined to two following the PMI's intervention, before rising again in 2006 and 2007, all because of partisan politics.
The PMI is now making its contribution to a scene generally recognised as needing a fresh approach. However, this approach needs to be expanded and strengthened if these gains are to be sustained and have a general impact on homicidal violence nationally.
