Newsboyphil Reporting from Kingston, Jamaica

The buisness elite in Jamaica headed by banker Bill Clarke has for months asked the nation to consider the merger of the Military and the Police, this has been supported by the shadow security minister, Derrick Smith.This week during an informal tour of Up Park Camp, the headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), The Prime Minister Patterson stressed that this was not an option for his administration.

"I do not contemplate that we will be going any route that will see a merger between the Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Constabulary Force," said the prime minister in a short address to soldiers and Coast Guard members.
Patterson, who is also the minister of defence, did not elaborate on the issue, but the prime minister's remarks were consistent with the crime fighting policies of his administration.

Merger too strong a word , but, the results of greater cooperation could be what this nation need right now. This maybe too much to ask from an outgoing PM who seem to be far away from making a dent in the crime and violence mayhem that has been gripping the country. I personally think greater cooperation is needed between the two insitutions. I will go further, any well thinking Jamaican with knowledge of the crisis we have been facing re: rising crime would agree that some compromise is needed to get a working machinery capable of cleaning up the streets and making them safe for every citizen to walk about at their leisure without fear of unprovoked violence. Supporters of a merger argue that Jamaica's 10,000-member constabulary is, per capita, smaller than other police forces in the Caribbean. Merging it with the JDF would not only bring an additional 3,000 trained personnel, but an educated and highly-trained officer corps.

The history of the Jamaican Constabulary is one where justice has not been rightly served in key areas for decades. There are indications that the continued expansion of the force has come at the expense of repeated human rights abuses. The JDF service men and women on the other hand though less immersed in the battle of the streets have equipped themselves with much more professionalism and this is what the members of the business elite are hoping would be replicated in the JCF if a merger was some how acheived. The danger is one where a new military stronghold could be so developed and managed to the point where the leaders feel all too ready to take over governance of the country.

I don't think we are anywhere near those considerations. A working solution toward solving the murder madness is what this PNP Administration have been given years now to deal with and they are having a difficult time coping. The current mayhem if unchecked will bring about new murder records at the end of the year.

 Jamaica's murder tally 1,157, the highest ever recorded for the year to date. The nation of 2.7 million people had 1,469 murders last year and police said the annual toll could top 1,500 for the first time in Jamaica's history.

The greater cooperation which I speak of could well last for the short term and serve as a catalyst for gettin the murder numbers down while securing the streets. It has worked in time of emergency in the past and i'm thinking with an election year upon us 2006-2007 their need to be greater resolve by the ruling administration to get the crime and violence picture improved.

PHIL