Garth Rattray SPEAKING AT the start of a two-day International Conference on Violence Prevention held at the Jamaica Conference Centre last Wednesday, the Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, revealed that Jamaica's murder rate was a whopping 44 per 100,000 population. I believe that an increasing percentage of this figure is due to contract killings. In recent times I have lost many patients/friends that way.
Andrea Moncrieffe was young, amiable and full of life. She was murdered while still in her motorcar on her way home, the apparent victim of a contract killing. Now there's a deep and jagged tear in the hearts of all her friends and relatives. Her stunned and emotionally drained mother related the story of her loss in a subdued voice, weakened by grief and despair. She vainly tried to fathom the reason for the murder, hoping that perhaps a rational explanation would somehow ease her pain. Another decent, law-abiding, productive member of society was taken from us.
ASSASSINS
Assassins almost ruined my life also. After earning his doctorate in Public Administration, my father returned to Jamaica in 1981 full of ideas and anxious to serve his country. From his position as City Engineer for the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation, he was seconded to the Ministry of Housing's Site and Services division. He transformed it into the self-sufficient Estate Development Company in 1982. Being a principled man, he refused to condone certain bad practices and a contract was put on his life. One day in 1983 I was driving his van when a man came out of a crowd of pedestrians and pointed a .38 revolver straight at me through the windshield. Lucky for me, before I realised what was happening, he said, "Oh, ah no him", and ran into the St. Andrew Parish Church cemetery.
BIG BUSINESS
Murder is big business. Anyone can order a hit for a price. I called up my friend, Superintendent of Police Newton "Thunder" Amos, and he enlightened me about a few things. Hits are ordered for a variety of reasons. Common ones include deals over guns and ammunition gone badly, conflicts over drugs/money, extortion, gang-related matters, business disagreements and even romantic problems. Some shooters rent guns to murder, intimidate or rob because they fear being linked to the weapon. A .38 revolver can be rented for as much as $20,000. 9mm pistols go for up to $30,000. The weapons are provided with ammunition and may be rented for up to two weeks at a time. Some require a caution deposit to cover possible damage or loss. Prices are subject to inflation. Severe penalties are accrued for late returns and failure to return a weapon may incur the death penalty. Some "jobs" necessitate the rental of not only guns but also men (mercenaries). A contract killing for interpersonal squabbles can cost from as little as $10,000 up to between $20,000 and $30,000. The "average" hit costs anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000. Top CEO's can fetch over 1M. The actual trigger-man is usually a subcontracted teenager, between 12 to 20 years old.
SANCTITY OF LIFE
As SP Amos put it, these youngsters are exploited because they grow up in circumstances where killings are commonplace. They have no emotions, no values, no responsibilities, no appreciation of the sanctity of life and nothing to lose. The business of murder has received a boost from some of our returning deportees schooled in American penal institutions. They wish to establish a "One Order" (Jamaican street name for the modern-day Mafioso). This will bring true organised crime to Jamaica. These crime bosses plan to control everything; killings, extortion, robberies, terrorism, drugs, money and even the women within their fiefdom.
Whenever a contract killer murders someone, their relatives, spouses and friends benefit financially from the gruesome deaths that we hear about and see all around us. But even they are at real risk, just like the rest of us, because the reasons for contract killings are so varied that anyone can end up on a hit list. It suits them to co-operate with the law in squashing this growing trend. No one is safe.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
