Mr Denver Frater, the assistant commissioner of police, who last Thursday unveiled the constabulary's latest 'most-wanted' list, noted with a seeming sense of accomplishment that the list included three rapists and child molesters.

That these alleged criminals were marked for notoriety, Mr Frater suggested, signalled the increased importance with which the constabulary is taking rape and crimes against children. We welcome the move but crave the understanding of Mr Frater and his colleagues in the police force if we do not applaud too loudly; at least not as yet.

In the first place, we would expect that the police would take all serious crimes ... well, seriously. Moreover, as we understand it, the 'wanted list' is reserved for those criminals who are deemed to pose the greatest danger to the community at the particular time. In that regard, an alleged criminal being placed on the list should be based on a set of objective criteria rather than merely a wish to send a signal.

ISSUE AGAINST WOMEN, CHILDREN

But in so far as signals go, there is something more profound that we would wish the police to show that they take rape and crimes against women and children seriously — actually taking them seriously. Which, of course, is not to question the intent of the police, but rather the practice.

It is widely agreed that rape is among the most, if not the most, under-reported crimes in Jamaica, primarily for two reasons. The first is the lack of confidence in the police to solve crime. So, as with the victims of other crimes, victims of rape often feel it of little use to bother with the cops.

The other significant concern of rape victims is that even as they struggle with the psychological pain and 'shame', the police have not done enough to help them through their ordeal. It is true that under Francis Forbes the constabulary established a rape unit, but it has remained largely under-resourced. There are too few staff with too little training. Victims of rape often prefer to try to forget rather than attempt to relive the trauma of their experience, first to insensitive police officers, and then in court.

Dealing with crime

Indeed, a similar situation applies to dealing with crimes against children, whether sexual or physical abuse. The unit that deals with these is woefully under-resourced.

It is understandable that with murder considered to be the ultimate crime, and given Jamaica's astronomical homicide rate, the emphasis and resources are mostly geared to this problem. Except that rape, incest, battery and so on are serious crimes that often lead to murder. In addition, part of the reason for Jamaica's high level of crime is that criminals believe that they can act with impunity; there will be no sanctions because they will neither be caught nor prosecuted. Indeed, hardly more than a third of serious crimes in Jamaica are cleared up, which means preciously little.

The way, therefore, to show a commitment to tackling the crimes against women and children is for the police to create the environment for them to be fully and properly reported, then catch the perpetrators.