Prime Minister Bruce Golding ought not to be surprised that he continues to be pummelled by a vocal section of the Jamaican society over the relatively modest anti-crime initiatives he unveiled in Parliament on Tuesday.

For, as Mr Golding will by now be aware, it is easy to carp and complain when you are not accountable - as he now is to the Jamaican people for the country's crisis of security, which the administration is seeking to address. Mr Golding, therefore, ought not to be deterred. He may, indeed, find it worthwhile to revisit elements of the plan to ensure a more robust response to the country's sense of insecurity.

The proposal over the time the police can detain criminal suspects, while continuing to respect and value the broad ideals of habeas corpus, is a case in point. It ought to be discussed in the context of the circumstances, in which Jamaica finds itself.

High murder rate

On average, about 1,600 people are murdered in Jamaica annually, although the figure could reach close to 2,000 in 2008. The homicide rate is over 60 per 100,000. On that basis, Jamaica is in the top three of countries with the highest murder rate. Yet, murder is not the only crime enveloping Jamaica. The country is a hotbed of shootings, extortion and rape, with violent criminal gangs in effective control of large swathes of several, mostly poor, inner-city communities.

Jamaica, in that regard, may not suffer from terrorism in the classic definition of the term, in the context of what captured the imagination of the post-9/11 world. The net effect from the country's violent criminality is the same: people, and whole communities, are held in deep fear by these many, and often random, acts of violence.

The fact, though, is that more often than not, the police have a good handle on who these gang leaders and proponents of violence are, but lack the hard evidence that may be applicable in a court of law. Or, when these thugs are held on suspicion of crimes, they are often quickly freed, sometimes to intimidate and frighten witnesses.

Government has retreated

It was clearly understandable, in the circumstances, that the Government wanted to extend the time for which a suspect could be held, before the rules of habeas corpus kicked in, from 24 hours to up to at least a month. Having failed to achieve consensus on the issue, the Government has retreated - at least for now. So, the proposal is to give the police 72 hours before such persons have to be taken before a magistrate, if the detention has been authorised by police of the rank of assistant commissioner or higher.

The idea of the significant longer period of detention is to allow the police more time to build their case against a suspect and to allow potential witnesses time and space, without the immediate presence of an accused, to decide whether they will give evidence. This is logical and sensible and is not achievable in 72 hours.

Indeed, earlier this month, the British Parliament extended from 28 to 42 days the time that terrorism suspects can be held without triggering the habeas corpus rules. Jamaica's problem is far more acute than the UK's, as Mr Golding is aware.