Dennie Quill, Contributor

A cesspool! That is how Commissioner Hardley Lewin has described the Jamaica Constabu-lary Force (JCF). He was not speaking in hushed tones to a group of favoured friends. Instead, he made this observation at a public function in the presence of some of his colleagues.

This shocking declaration by the head of the constabulary did not get the media play it deserved, because so much attention was locked on the political drama being played out within the opposition People's National Party. And even with 11 new deaths being added to the tally over last weekend there was no outrage.

But, I dare say this is serious stuff. Here we are in the midst of an explosive crime wave, where people are being murdered with impunity, and we now learn that the institution charged with the responsibility to 'serve and protect' us is so mired in problems that it is incapable of carrying out the task.

I have written at length about the ineptitude of the police force and corruption, but if ever proof were needed that we are in a crisis, Commissioner Lewin has provided more than enough evidence.

Unprofessionalism

Essentially, Commissioner Lewin was saying because of rank unprofessionalism, corruption and incompetence, the JCF is unable to function. The report did not state whether Commissioner Lewin made any recommendations to solve the problem, but to me he seemed like a man who had reached the end of his tether, and was just about to declare his mission impossible.

There are some among us who have tried to make the link between crime and poverty. But, I find it unacceptable that a hungry, unem-ployed man would react to his circumstances by raping a seven-year-old or torching a home while the occupants were asleep in their beds.

The fact is, from May Pen to Morant Point, these heinous crimes are occurring daily. And the police can only react with yards of yellow tape. Like an old record, the Constabulary Communication Network officers recite the line 'no motive has been established'. The police are inept, many of them are barely literate and they have no pride in their jobs. That's my opinion, based on years of observing them at work.

But now we know from the commissioner that the force consists of a rotten core. How can a mother look her children in the eye after they were raped in their beds? And, if not the police, who is going to save our communities? Ah, the dons. As unpalatable as it sounds, normally rational thinkers are now suggesting the dons may have the answer. After all, they have successfully run extortion rings all over the country and have proven to be very efficient at collections.

Manpower advantage

They argue that, even though the police enjoy a manpower advan-tage over the dons, they are able to keep their neighbourhoods safe by dispensing swift justice when citizens fall out of line, and they don't have the benefit of a 119 number.

The question that looms large is whether those who have sought to govern us have run out of ideas. The answer has not been found in changing the head of the force and the minister, or by adding a few overseas recruits. Maybe, the answer is to purge the force of the corrupt ones who are a bad influence to young recruits. And replace them with whom? Have we come to a place in Jamaica where the pickings are so thin that we cannot find competent, honest men and women to serve in the JCF?

Cold files

What really is the Government's crime strategy? Are there civilians with the savvy to help the police solve crime by studiously assessing cold files and finding elusive evidence? Should the 60 members of Parliament be forced to examine themselves and determine whether they have done all in their power to make Jamaica a safer place? Is anyone willing to own up to any part in fuelling this violence?

If we are to leave a legacy to our children of a safer Jamaica, in which their innocence is protected, we need to forget the sideshows of party politics and come up with some urgent out-of-the-box thinking on this issue. The time for action has long passed.

Feedback may be sent to denniequill@hotmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com