Garth Rattray

EVEN STAUNCH cricket fans were surprised at the do-or-die economic and social investments made in the Cricket World Cup it seemed like a bad idea, Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. The Honourable Omar Davies, tried (I think in vain) to convince us that the monies spent on Sabina Park and for the construction ofthe Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium were sound, long-term investments.

Unprecedented spending on construction, street repairs, beautification projects, medical equipment and public service anti-crime announcements testify to our ability to get things done should the need arise. If we could sacrifice so much for a sport, we should certainly be making similarly gargantuan (and long-term) social and security investments for the sake of our people. The need for this is painfully evident in our malignant poverty and high crime rate.

The United States made the mistake of ignoring some social problems and ended up (once again) with a multiple murder-suicide (the Virginia Tech catastrophe). Our multiple mini-catastrophes (murdered, terrorised and internally displaced citizens) prove that we too have a great need for urgent social intervention. We must make a do-or-die effort to solve our social problems. No single ministry can, in isolation, do enough to significantly improve our security and financial status. However, as I have opined before, we need all government ministries to collaborate with bold, innovative social programmes and security measures.

Cost of crime

Murderers strike unimpeded. There are many more rapes and robberies than the police crime blotters reflect. Our shopping areas are gold mines for criminals. Gang wars and retaliations regularly claim innocent lives. Throughout all this, the administration only manages to put the security forces out in significant numbers at times of crisis or during the Christmas season (when crowds peak) - it's obvious that we need more security personnel to ensure proper year-round coverage.

The direct and indirect financial cost of crime and violence is extremely high. Treating victims of violence occupies a fair size of the Ministry of Health budget. Our essential tourist industry is under threat from our high crime rate - we were reminded of this in, 'Tourists fearful of Jamaica', The Gleaner, Letters to the Editor, Saturday, April 21, 2007.

Losing our youth

Crime stifles the development of our affected young and is therefore self-propagating. It severely inhibits investment and financial growth. People would rather invest in paper or invest abroad than risk businesses prone to robberies and extortion. We continue to experience the exodus of young, productive minds that flee the island because they fear the high crime rate and see no silverlining to our oppressive economic cloud (due, again, in part, to crime).

I noticed a high security presence on my trip to Cuba and the tourist enclaves of Mexico. Security teams dressed in non-threatening, light-coloured uni-forms were everywhere and in direct sight of each other. We need to do likewise; invest in our deserving citizens by expanding our security personnel and saturating the country with them. This will deter crime and violence until the social reforms and developmental programmes (that require large investments and a lot of time) catch up.

We need daily multiple, staggered patrols in volatile areas. If our security forces don't do this, gunmen with high-powered assault rifles will 'patrol' instead. We must endure until their weapons rust in their hiding places. Sooner or later we're going to pay dearly for our numerous social problems and shortcomings. We should therefore make a do-or-die effort by investing heavily now to save lives and the economy later.