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  • Essay / Analysis of government actions to reduce crime in Jamaica

    The Andrew Holness-led administration has come under extreme pressure after more than 1,300 murders were recorded in 2016, the highest in the last five years . Therefore, an anti-crime plan was launched, focusing on reducing crime and using social intervention to reduce the problem, the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO). The Special Areas of Operations Act, passed in 2017, authorizes the Prime Minister to declare any geographically defined area within a single continuous boundary in Jamaica, "where there are reasonable grounds to believe that criminality endemic, gang warfare, escalating violence and killings as well as the threat to the rule of law and public order is evident.” The act became necessary after growing concerns over the escalating murder rate in Montego Bay, St. James. The main function serves to establish and restore public order, citizen security and public safety. The zone can only be established by the Prime Minister after the Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Defense Staff submit their written request. Although the implementation and effectiveness of the zone has been the subject of much criticism, it has emerged more refined as Jamaicans accept that it is a national security focused plan and are ready to make it work. According to paragraph 3, the objectives of this law are to say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To give the Prime Minister in Council the power to declare an area a special operations zone. Uphold the rule of law while protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of people who reside or carry out lawful activities in an area. Conduct law enforcement activities to rid an area of ​​all illegal weapons, ammunition, and other contraband. Allows members of the joint force to search a person, vehicle or place without a warrant in an area. , if they reasonably suspect that an offense has been, is being or is about to be committed. Provide that the joint force command can establish a cordon and decree a curfew in an area. Promote the social and economic development of an area through the efforts of various government agencies and civil society. Provide for the creation of the committee responsible, among other things, for developing a sustainable plan for the area. The 7 objective pillars of the law serve to illustrate its main function of establishing and restoring public order, citizen security and public safety. The government's response to Jamaica's crime problem is the Special Operations Zone Act. The request to declare a special operations zone is likely an intelligence matter. Where an area has been declared under the Act, there are two main individuals responsible for operations, a member of the Jamaica Defense Force as well as the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Appointments for this member are made by the Chief of Defense Staff and the Commissioner of Police respectively. Together, the appointed members form the Joint Command and are specially trained in human rights, use of force and community development initiatives. Operations in the area are to last sixty days, which may be extended for a period not exceeding sixty days after mutual agreement between the National Security Council and the Joint Command. The National Security Council has established an accountability and reporting systemin which the joint command the command must adhere by submitting every ten days a written report on operations in the area. The Prime Minister works closely and is directly linked to the area. He can therefore suspend operations or modify joint command if he deems it appropriate. According to the Act, Section 12(1) of the Joint Committee may, in any area, establish a round cordon or within the area or impose a curfew in the area between such times as may be specified , requiring people in this area to stay in their premises. during the hours thus specified, unless otherwise authorized by a member of the joint force. This becomes necessary for the operation as they will be better able to monitor the activities in the area. Curfew hours can also initiate a relationship between police and citizens, an important mechanism for obtaining intelligence on criminals. When operations are conducted in the area, the joint command may only apprehend or detain if the person responsible for the operations is satisfied that there is reasonable cause for the person's arrest or detention. When a person is arrested or detained under this Act, that person must be informed as soon as possible of the reason for the arrest and the justice of the peace may also determine whether there are sufficient grounds for the arrest. This illustrates the level of respect imposed by the justice of the peace and the impact he has on operations. It is after the satisfaction of the justice of the peace that a person can be placed in custody and brought before a judge of the parish court. Section 16(5) states that "where a justice of the peace is not satisfied that the arrest or detention of a person is reasonably required in the interests of justice, he or she must order that the person be released." immediately ". The Prime Minister has taken steps to ensure that everyone involved in operations is fully protected against an abuse of power by the Joint Committee by appealing to the Justice of the Peace and authorizing the use of body cameras if resources permit . Body-worn cameras are another mechanism to ensure lawful behavior of security forces in the area and record unscrupulous activities in order to gather evidence against people. In accordance with the objectives of the law, within five working days of the declaration of an area, a social intervention committee should be constituted. Its main objective is, according to paragraph 24(1), "to assess conditions within the area, including the state of health of physical infrastructure, environment, land tenure, housing and habitat ". The Prime Minister acknowledges that these are areas that suffer from social decay, hence the high level of criminal activity. It is argued that if there is an improvement in the social structure and well-being of these communities, then there will be a certain level of social connection and belonging which will demotivate criminal activity. Hirschi's (1969) social control theory supports this assertion by asserting that criminal activity occurs. when an individual's attachment to society is weakened. This attachment depends on the strength of the social bonds that unite individuals to society. According to Hirschi, there are four social bonds that unite us: attachment; Commitment; Involvement and belief. Social intervention includes government agencies, the Registrar's Department, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, among others, attempting to improve the social lives of community members. Many of these members do not have basic social amenities, which is why most areunder the control of donman-ship which seeks to provide them with everything, albeit illegally. The Prime Minister, in his report to Parliament, revealed that around 1,400 services had been provided and in most cases, beneficiaries had access to multiple services. The Prime Minister said that “the services provided included the provision of civil status documents (258 people applied for a birth certificate, 72 people applied for a tax registration number and 41 people applied for a national insurance scheme ) and the provision of health services (237 people). were examined by general practitioners; 470 people received dental services, which included general exams, cleanings and extractions, and 156 people received optical services, such as eye exams. Additionally, residents benefited from training services (43 people were enrolled in HEART/NTA, two people received job placement, 17 people enrolled in training courses; 11 people enrolled in programs HOPE learning program and 13 people benefited from placement in a call center). Social services including social services and counseling were also provided. Some 55 people registered for Program for Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) benefits and 46 people registered for food handler permits. “Whatever ZOSO's successes may be, skepticism remains mainly about moving criminals rather than apprehending them. Grant argued that the ZOSO is a public relations stunt. He argued that while ZOSO has achieved its goal of allaying people's fears, it cannot stop crime because it does not address the root causes. Criminals are dispersed and may operate in other areas outside the zone. In response to this statement, Major Basil Jarrett said: “We knew, we anticipated and, to some extent, we wanted these criminals removed from the communities. When they are on the move, it is much easier for us to track their movements and determine where they are likely to be hiding. We know the weapons are there, and we know that not all the weapons could have been removed in a reasonable time frame. It is unclear why the government is taking such a defensive approach to operations in the area, waiting for the criminals to act. These criminals can flee to other communities and wreak havoc. He also mentioned that they are being tracked, but Jamaica does not have sophisticated technologies to track individuals on whom they lack information. The Joint Committee should always be one step ahead of the criminals, keeping them guessing about their movements. I see two practical recommendations for apprehending criminals. First, a surprise site visit and immediate declaration of a zone after its creation. The criminals would then be trapped inside and security forces would be able to arrest them accordingly. We can't just let the criminals be moved and leave their guns behind, the fact that the guns are left behind indicates that they have plenty of guns or other means of obtaining one. If the criminals are trapped inside the areas, they must surrender, there is no escape. In the major's statement, he also said, "I think most people expect to wake up in the morning and hear that police and soldiers are exchanging gunfire with criminals." The defensive mindset is confusing, the first goal, in my opinion, should be "eradicate all.