Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin is the consummate military man. He operated with efficiency within the sphere of the Jamaica Defence Force for 36 years. There is little room for corruption within the military and there is no room for questioning orders, so his commands were carried out with dispatch. Perhaps this is why he was chosen to be the commissioner of police in December 2007.

I never agreed with his appointment because, in my opinion, the commissioner of police should come from within the ranks of that organisation. Only someone with intimate knowledge of its inner workings, of its good and bad points, of its internal politics, of its sensibilities and of the psyche of the men and women within the constabulary should be in such a post.

His appointment (like that of the previous military man appointed to that post - Colonel Trevor MacMillan) was seen as a signal that the administration had little confidence in the ability of the top-ranking officers to carry out their duties without fear or favour. I, therefore, opined that the commissioner of police should be a post, and not a rank, since it made no sense for those working their way up the ranks to aspire towards it.

And, if I knew Hardley as more than an acquaintance, I would have advised him to avoid the job at all costs because, given his personality, training and background, it would only frustrate him. Furthermore, the post has become one that is so answerable to and severely encumbered by politics that it has been significantly compromised. No one should be put in a fight with both hands tied behind his/her back.

Therefore, Lewin made hardly any difference and, like many police commissioners before him and those to follow, he should not be held accountable for the failure to reduce crime, and especially our astounding murder rate.

Crime problem

Our crime problem is like a nasty abscess. It is filled with pus and has an indwelling nidus ('root') of infection. That root is politics - it is deep-seated and protected by the surrounding pus (criminals and those who tacitly or blatantly support them by direct or indirect means). So far, we have been treating this abscess with antibiotics (crime measures that can't penetrate the 'abscess'). Everyone knows that antibiotics are ineffective in treating abscesses and that what is needed is a total and complete drainage of pus and removal of the nidus.

What amazes me is this - our crime abscess has been wreaking systemic havoc and causing sepsis (potentially deadly 'blood poison') yet our leaders refuse to admit the existence of the nidus (the involvement of politics) and that the spin-offs of politics are guns/drugs/area leaders/dons/extortion. Only by coming clean (by laying open this nasty situation) can we begin the healing process.

I am deeply disappointed in anyone who would preserve his/her power base at the expense of an entire nation. Many politicians know a lot about the crime lords that they helped create and vice versa. Consequently, there are innumerable skeletons in many closets. Other politicians are on the fringe but are aware of the symbiotic relationship begun many years ago when the pursuit of political power employed violence as a tool of control.

We need a brave leader

All we need is for a brave leader to emerge who will expose the root cause of violence, in Jamaica. Area leaders/dons, people so in touch with the poor, can certainly be put to peaceful use. Real power lies with those who stop violence - not with those who employ it.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Feedback may be sent to garthrattray@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.