Caricom and crime

The challenges more than likely would have been among the most arduous that confronted the region’s heads of government at their inter- sessional meeting in Guyana this past week. Yet, they cannot afford to throw up their hands in the air and leave Georgetown in despair.

Caricom nations share so much in common in lifestyle, culture, values, history, geography and economy that collaborations can surely be invoked against the crime menace. This can be at the level of white-collar crime, street crime and the social factors that create predispositions to youth criminality.

While Caricom Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque recently urged a regional solution to crime, we say that at the very least certain models of best practice can be shared from one territory to another, such as templates for anti-money laundering legislation.

Caricom has been highly successful in areas of functional cooperation such as health and education. The creativity displayed, for instance, in containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic must be brought to bear on the initiatives to curb crime, said to be out of control in territories including Trinidad and Tobago, whose Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, is coordinator of Caricom’s crime control efforts.

As a fillip to these discussions, Dr Rowley can speak with authority on some of the precursors to the inexorable increase in crime in TT.

For example, many murders in TT are due to the drug trade, largely spurred by this country’s position as a transshipment point between the producer “South” and the consumer “North”. Gang wars are fuelled when a portion of drugs being transshipped is retained for sale on the local market as payment to the transshippers, who are also supplied with lethal firearms in the shipment to protect their cargo.

Law enforcement must clearly play its role, yet to stem the multi-faceted menace of crime further factors are needed. Caricom would do well to mull a recent World Bank report, “Stop the Violence in Latin America: A Look at Prevention from Cradle to Adulthood”.

Despite the region’s economic and social gains in the last decade, high levels of crime and violence take a heavy toll on development and human lives, said a statement accompanying the report. The authors urged a more inclusive social fabric with more equality of opportunities, plus policies to cut school dropout rates and provide good jobs for youth. “Insecurity is the result of many factors – from drug trafficking and organised crime, to weak judicial and law enforcement systems that promote impunity, to a lack of opportunities and support for marginalised young populations.” The statement said a well-aimed mix of initiatives can greatly reduce violent acts and criminal behaviour.

The report underscores that there’s “no magic formula or single policy” to fix the problem, and “it emphasises that relying only on greater police action or greater incarceration is not enough.” The statement said policies that are not overtly anti-crime measures can greatly reduce crime, such as early childhood development, education, and poverty reduction measures.

The best measures “are those that reduce the likelihood that children will run away from home, get arrested or convicted, and those to discourage youngsters from dropping out of high school. Even health policies can prevent crime, violence, and aggression, such as better nutrition and mental health treatment.” The report remarked that crime prevention works best where institutions such as the police or the judicial system are trusted.

So, based on this report, the message is that in addition to the usual “hard policing” measures, Caricom leaders must consider the softer measures of alleviating social ills such as youth delinquency to prevent them contributing as causes of crime