Al Miller, Contributor

Miller

Success or failure in any endeavour is not luck, but knowing and observing the principles that make for success. The Creator of the universe has given principles to guarantee the success of personal life and of nations. The wise follow them while others ignore and devise their own ways that guarantee failure. The choice is ours.

Crime, like all other societal problems, can be solved. The key is knowing how, by humbly going back to discover the proven, time-tested principles given by the Creator, the source of all knowledge and wisdom. Here are some solution-oriented principles for our ever-worsening, crime-ridden society that may just work.

1. Outline a vision of Jamaica that excites and gives hope.

2. State and teach basic expectations of citizens - Love God; love others and self; love nation; love work; love law and order; and respect the rights of others and the systems, structures, and amenities provided by the State.

3. Show citizens their purpose in the nation:

To grow and develop your potential to the maximum

To work to meet the needs of yourself, your family, and the poor.

To serve using your gifts, talents and abilities for the betterment of others, communities and the nation.

To contribute to the building and defence of your nation.

To play a part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race.

To strive to maintain an atmosphere of freedom, for all to worship, play, earn and develop.

4. Affirm citizens identity as a people of worth, value and royalties.

These are foundational pillars on which to tackle and overcome any national crisis. On these we can confront and beat the divisions and lingering crime and violence that has plagued us for nearly three decades. It is on this solid foundation that we can build an effective crime-fighting strategy that can engage every citizen as a crime fighter.

The crime-fighting strategy in our current crisis demands strong decisive leadership from government security forces. Crime prevention is the responsibility of all citizens in civil society. Crime solution is the responsibility of government whose primary focus must be justice and the protection and defence of law-abiding citizens, not mercy or the rights of law breakers who do so by choice (except for their rights within the bounds of love and fairness of the law).

The current approach requires that we:

1. Speedily address the weaknesses of the justice system to make it just, swift, and certain.

2. Re-train and enforce within the security forces the principle of 'treating every citizen with respect at all times and in all situations'. Firmness and toughness does not equal rudeness and crassness.

3. Correctly diagnose the problem. Crime and violence is not primarily a socio-economic problem as most have suggested. Could this be why solutions have eluded us? Crime and violence is, fundamentally, a spiritual and moral problem with socio-economic manifestations. The solution needs an application of moral principles supported by the socio-economic.

socio-economic principles

We have to date been applying, as solutions, socio-economic principles and the conditions have only worsened because these feed the problem instead of destroying it. The spiritual and moral principles affect the socio-economic, but they don't always work in the reverse. Crime and violence is a violation of the spiritual and moral principle 'Love thy neighbour as you love thyself' - an internal, invisible function of faith expressed by obedience. Correspondingly, the solution must be an internal function controlled by fear of consequences. The social and economic must support the spiritual and moral.

4. Establish tough, clear laws for violent crimes, with fearful consequences that are known by all. The penalty for each type of crime must be clear and not easily manipulated by slick lawyers.

5. Have a period for truth, forgiveness, and amnesty for guns.

all-out drive

6. At the end of the period of truth, forgiveness and amnesty, have an all-out drive to recover guns and stop the entry of illegal guns. Anyone caught trafficking, aiding and abetting, or using a gun or weapon to wound, will face the full brunt of the law - laws with teeth and strong enforcement! Criminals must fear the law and a climate needs to be created that gives the perception that the chances of being caught are far greater than the possibility of escape. Such a climate builds confidence among citizens to join the fight against crime.

7. We must, as a society, remove the growing perception of glamour that surrounds criminals by not ensuring them 'front page' and prime time news, and as a friend of mine says, "confirming criminality as a career and calling a criminal a 'gunman', rather than a man with a gun committing a crime". We need to make it clear that criminals are enemies of the people and the State.

8. Aggressively seek to provide opportunities of alternatives to crime by creating jobs, skills training, education, and a clean environment that gives dignity.

9. Use the powerful tools of sports to unite, burn up energy and time, empower, instil values and discipline, and teach life skills and how to build healthy inter-personal relationships while giving a sense of personal well-being and satisfaction.

Overcoming the crime problem in record time is not beyond us or as difficult as it appears. If we are prepared to change our approach, we need bold leaders who are willing to step out of the box and break the intimidation of loudmouths with wrong philosophical outlooks, then, success will not elude us.

Al Miller is pastor of Fellowship Tabernacle, St Andrew.