SECTORAL DEBATE 2008 PRESENTATION
BY DR. PETER PHILLIPS, MP
OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN ON NATIONAL SECURITY
June 10, 2008

A SAFE AND SECURE SOCIETY:

THE URGENT CHALLENGE OF OUR GENERATION

Mr. Speaker

I have had many opportunities to debate the security situation in our country.  However this is the first occasion on which I shall be doing so from the Opposition benches.

Before proceeding, I would like to extend congratulations to you and to the Deputy Speaker on your elevation.  The hopes of the Parliament and the possibilities for lively and meaningful debate rest in large measure with you.  So far, our experiences have not belied our hopes; and our expectations of justice and impartiality from the Speaker's chair continue.

I would also like Mr. Speaker, to thank my constituents, from East Central St. Andrew whose support over the past four elections has enabled me to take my seat in this parliament.  There are few places in Jamaica that might have people in greater need of all the things that make for a good life;  things such as better living conditions, better housing, more income, better health care, better roads to name but a few.  Despite this, there is among the people of East Central St. Andrew a wide-spread quality of love and caring for each other and for their community and country which makes them very special and which is indeed the underpinning of their resilience in the face of hardships. 

I would also like to express my appreciation to the comrades of the People's National Party (PNP) and the many thousands of supporters from all walks of life from all political persuasions across Jamaica who by their expressions of goodwill, by their prayers and their active support have urged me on in continuing my role in public service. 

Most of all Mr. Speaker, I must pay tribute to the members of my family who must sometimes share the opprobrium and the bitterness which is sadly too often part of public service.  They endure this for no other reason than that they are associated with me.  For my part it would not be possible for me to continue were it not for the love, support and guidance which they offer unflinchingly.

Jamaica's Most Urgent Problem

Mr. Speaker

Events over the past weeks have brought into sharp focus the fact that crime and violence continue to be the most urgent problem confronting the Jamaican people.  The current crime statistics speak loudly.  Thus far, this year, more than 700 persons have been murdered.  This represents an increase of 18 percent as compared to last year.  The month of May, we are told, was the most violent month in our recent past, with about 200 persons murdered. Beyond that, robberies are up more than 50 per cent and generally, crimes against property are up.  The numbers tell only part of the story.  The brazenness of some of the killings and their heartlessness;  a murderous assault of a woman in broad daylight in our busiest town centre; the callous murder of a security guard in front of scores of onlookers; and an indiscriminate  drive-by  attack all feed public hysteria and a sense of dread that is felt by every  Jamaican.

Even as we feel these emotions of anger and dread we cannot adequately understand the havoc that this violence is creating in the lives of Jamaican families all across the country.  Thousands of children are traumatized and psychologically scarred for life because of the vicious murders of one of their parents or siblings - their capacity to learn stunted.  Other families get pushed back into the morass of poverty and debt by virtue of the murder of the main bread winners; our health services and our educational services likewise are burdened and made inadequate by the weight of this wave of violent criminality creeping across the country.  This is not to mention the real costs faced by businesses which must meet extra security costs that their competitors in other countries do not have to confront.

I must also express my sympathy to the families of police officers killed in the line of duty by gunmen. They too, have to bear the burden of coping without a father or husband. Within the wider Constabulary, we must also understand that the daily confrontation with murderous gunmen, impacts on the psyche and morale of the men and women in uniform. This state of mind can be further damaged when some in the society tarnish the entire force with the brush of misconduct and corruption that applies only to misfits in the organization. There is no doubt that unlawful conduct must be rooted out and dealt with. But, in the process, we should avoid wholesale psychological damage that impedes the overall task of building and maintaining a law-abiding society.  

This brings me Mr. Speaker, to the issue of today's presentation: Building a Safe and Secure Society-the Urgent Challenge of our Generation. I say this because we need to move beyond the headlines of the latest atrocities to an understanding of the threats posed by organized criminal gangs and hence, the need for a united national response to the challenge.  In the 70-odd years since we began the task of building the Jamaican state with opportunities for all our people we have met and responded to specific challenges. We overcame the first challenge of achieving political independence. We have engaged the challenge of securing economic independence, with mixed results as our economy is still too fragile and vulnerable and too many people are on the margins, struggling to survive. Today, we must face the challenge from criminal violence.  This requires a new national response-not only to defeat the monster-but to secure and build on the gains we have made on the road to sustainable political and economic independence.

Mr. Speaker,

In calling on the society to accept and respond to the proposition that the defeat of violent criminality is the urgent challenge of this generation, I believe it is important that we begin right here among ourselves as Members of Parliament and political representatives. By our words and our deeds we have to earn the moral credibility to call on others to be part of a genuinely national effort.

I have said before that the issue of crime and violence is not one on which we should divide politically.  There is no legitimate place for political point scoring in this.  If there is a need to attribute blame then there is enough to go around for everyone.  And I am certainly prepared to accept whatever is due to me.  The fact is the current problems have been a long time in the making.

Throughout the entire period since Independence the spectre of violent crime has grown and, regrettably, has become a veritable part of our culture. We would do well to recall that scarcely five years after independence in 1962 there was a state of emergency declared in 1966 on account of violence n the western sections of Kingston.  This was followed 10 years later by another state of emergency this time island wide on account of the upsurge in violence.  In both of those episodes the failings of our political system were as evident as they were in the bloodshed of 1980.

While political considerations may not be central to our current experience of violent crime, the fact is that the reputation of our political institutions and the legitimacy of political authority were severely compromised by the experience of political violence through the 1960s, 70s, 80s and beyond.  As new factors such as Jamaica's enmeshment in a growing international network of the illegal drug trade which pushed a further wave of violence, it is probably accurate to say that our capacity to mobilize the country to resist these new and nefarious influences has been fettered by the distrust that too many still feel towards political authority and toward our political institutions.  

We, in this House, will have to address this deficiency and earn the trust of our citizens as, together we try to chart a way forward.

Situation Analysis - PNP Administration

Mr. Speaker,

For the remainder of my presentation, I will:

• Share once again the analysis of the situation which guided our policy approach as we entered the 21^st Century;
• Identify the key lessons learned from that experience;
• Identify some concerns with recent actions by the current administration; and
• Finally, offer some conclusions and recommendations about the way forward.

During the previous administration our approach was guided, first of all, by the clear reality that Jamaica had become enmeshed in the international trade in illegal narcotics.  In 2000 The United Nations Drug Control Programme and U.S. Authorities estimated that anywhere up to 120 metric tons of cocaine was passing through Jamaican territorial spaces.  The value of this cocaine on the U.S. market was estimated as being anywhere of up to US$4 billion.  This is not to suggest that all of this money came to Jamaica, but there is no doubt that the considerable resources flowing from the drug trade spawned many criminal organizations which were able to arm themselves and which ventured into many other criminal activities, including murder for hire, extortion, smuggling, and money laundering among other things.  They even found their way into apparently legitimate activities.  The enormous resources  at the disposal of these criminal organizations, was corrupting critical national institutions, including elements of our security forces, our customs, and other state institutions, our financial institutions, and even our political parties.

On the other hand, confronting this spectre of organized criminality was a police force that despite significant efforts at reform was still too reflective of obsolete models of policing.  These old models or paradigms emphasized force over intelligence-gathering and planning, and, as a consequence we had a Constabulary which was under-resourced, under-rewarded and under-trained. 

The police force was not an attractive professional choice for our young graduates from secondary and tertiary institutions, and had become demoralized and under threat from the corrupt elements in the society. 

In response to this, situation a clear-cut strategy was embarked upon and, if I say so myself, some significant advances were made. I'll mention a few:

• Priority was placed on breaking the grip of the international narcotics trade, and in dismantling the criminal organizations that controlled and benefited from this trade. As is now well-known, we were able to substantially reduce the flows of cocaine through Jamaica, consequent upon the arrest of persons suspected of being involved in the drug trade some of whom have been extradited.

• Some of the more violent criminal figures were also sought out and arrested and peace returned to some of our communities in Spanish Town and the Corporate Area, and some major convictions secured.

• We introduced greater levels of technological sophistication including:
• The Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System that allowed fingerprints to be read automatically
• The Integrated Ballistic System to identify firearms
• DNA technologies
• Greater use of  close-circuit television technologies
• The wireless telecommunications network was modernized.

We also sought to modernize and better equip the Police Force. Among other things:

• We provided more than 26 boats for the marine police
• Operation Kingfish was formed
• Major Investigation Task Force was formed
• We formed a National Intelligence Bureau and substantially re-equipped our national intelligence capability
• We embarked upon the reform of the training systems. The Professional Standards Branch was formed with a major anti-corruption unit in it. 
• And in order to make the force more attractive, a graduate entry programme was extended and a an Accelerated Promotions Programme introduced for persons both within and outside the force. 
• Sustained efforts were also made to provide more motor vehicles and to improve the conditions of Police Stations

There were also innovations on the Legislative side as a comprehensive and extensive effort was made to create a legislative environment which was not only more modern but which also facilitated new intelligence driven approaches to policing.  Among the critical bits of legislation passed were:

• The Fingerprint (amendment) Act to allow the taking of photographs and fingerprints of persons detained by the police for certain specified offences without the requirement of a court order
• The Criminal Justice Plea Negotiation and (Amendment) Act 2005 which provided for  plea bargaining so as to place greater focus on the ‘kingfish'  and the small fry of crime
• The interception of Communications Act to permit more effective  procedures to assist law makers in crime
• The larceny Amendment Act 2005 to provide for stiffer penalties for extortion
• The Proceeds of Crime Bill to allow for more effective forfeiture of criminal proceeds of crime and to deny criminals the benefits of their criminal activities.
• Amendment to the Firearms Act to establish a new Firearm Licensing Authority and to ensure greater integrity in the granting and renewal of firearm licences.

Mention should also be made of the efforts of social intervention which were undertaken through the formation of institutions such as the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) which has had tremendous impact in the Corporate Area, Spanish Town and St James in building a constituency for peace in volatile areas like Flankers in St James, the Mountain View Corridor, Duhaney Park in Kingston and March Pen Road in St. Catherine.   In this vein we should also mention the work of the CSJP which emerged during the tenure of Mr. K.D. Knight and the Community Security Initiative (CSI) which have been able to achieve significant results in communities like Fletchers Land, Matthews Lane, Dunkirk, Kencot, and Spanish Town.

This brief review does not cover all that was done.  We significantly upgraded our cooperation with our international partners for example which substantially contributed to the success of our drug control efforts.  We worked closely with our CARICOM partners as well to share intelligence and to secure our borders, and we fundamentally improved the capabilities of the JDF on land, sea and air so as to more effectively secure our borders and to confront existing threats to our sovereign integrity.

We should mention as well the National Security Strategy, the first of its kind which was promulgated in 2006 after more than a year of careful preparation and national consultation.  It was that national security strategy which highlighted five priority areas:

1.     Strengthening the country's national intelligence system

1. Conducting strategic review of national security bodies and modernization efforts
2. Establishing a national task force to strengthen the overall effect of the criminal justice system and to strengthen Jamaica's law and law making processes
3. Promoting programmes for community safety
4. Promoting a national strategic programme to enhance public information, awareness,  solidarity and support for the national security challenges being faced by the country

This comprehensive strategy basically set out a frame work to secure closer collaboration between what was traditionally seen as the security forces and the other agencies and departments of government which were deemed to be critical to the security of the country, but which had not traditionally been conscious of the security implications of their role.  I am speaking in this regard to agencies such as the Customs Department, Immigration, National Land Agency, Taxation Administration among others.

This realization needs to be emphasized because in effect what the National Security Strategy emphasized was that the provision of the nation's security needs extended far beyond the security institutions of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force and the Department of Corrections.  Further, it was recognized that any success to be achieved by the country with respect to improved security would need an alliance of all the law abiding including the security forces and other agencies of the state, the law-abiding people in their communities and the general political leadership of the country.  I will return to this concept later as we try to set out some ideas as to the way forward.

SOME LESSONS LEARNT

In reviewing the programmes and policies set in place during our tenure, I have not been exhaustive, nor am I foolhardy enough to suggest that the country had achieved an acceptable security environment.  Indeed, that clearly is not so, much more needs to be done.  It is possible nevertheless to derive some clear lessons from our experiences during our tenure and for whatever it is worth I will share some of these lessons based upon our experience and analysis.

Lesson 1:          Success will not come overnight

The first lesson might seem self-evident, but it needs to be underscored.  The battle that we are waging will only deliver success over the medium to long term, and will have many ups and downs.  What is necessary most of all is for the national leadership to chart a clear course explaining the elements of their strategy and programme of work.  Without this we run the risk of demoralization of the public or even worse, national hysteria in those instances when there is an upsurge of violence. The morale of the public and of the security forces must be sustained by the national leadership.

Lesson 2:  Do not politicize the fight against criminality.

 Much effort has been made including the passing of legislation. The Constabulary Force Act in 1995 insulated the JCF from political direction. Similarly, the Police Civilian Oversight Authority Act 2006 ensured that there was impartial non-political civilian oversight of the operations of the police force.   We have worked long and hard to restore the confidence of the police that they are free from political interference but even more importantly, to give them confidence that they are free to act against any citizen of whatever political persuasion or whatever status, who is in breach of the law.  Jamaica's political culture is still much too divided and scarred by political tribalism.  We need to do all we can to prevent any division of the country along tribal political lines where the fight against crime is concerned.  To do otherwise is a recipe for total failure.

Lesson 3 Budgetary Commitments over the Medium and Long Term must be Sustained

The challenge of effective crime fighting and of meaningful reform of the police force and the security apparatus generally, will involve significant budgetary outlays.  The truth is that administrations drawn from both parties over the years have not sustained an investment in law enforcement commensurate with the increase in the levels of threat faced by the Jamaican society.  As a consequence, the signs of decay and obsolescence in our security apparatus are palpably evident.  They are seen in the run-down vehicles, the decrepit police stations, the absence of a modern headquarters and command and control facility.  It is also to be seen in the lack of the most up-to-date technologies for intelligence gathering, surveillance of public spaces and for investigation.  It is essential that we all agree - the political parties and the wider public - that we must find the resources to support a sustained investment in the re-building of our law enforcement infrastructure.  Investments have been made in the past, including during our time.  The problem has been that these investments have not been adequately sustained for the 7-10 years which will be needed to make the necessary investments and achieve the desired results.

Lesson 4: Be Transparent

While it is true that there are sensitive areas of security administration, it is always helpful to the public that the highest levels of transparency are maintained.  We should share the analysis and assessments of the security situations that we have and always explain to the extent possible, changes and adjustments to the overall strategy and policy that may be made.  In the absence of this, mistrust, suspicion and cynicism will grow and the energies of the community and the security forces will be sapped.

Lesson 5: The Crime Problem Cannot Be Solved by the Security Forces Alone

This lesson should by now be evident to everyone, but there are nevertheless many voices in the society who seem to think that it is a matter for the security forces alone. More importantly, it cannot be solved simply by increasing the levels of brutality being directed to so-called criminals.  What experience has shown however, is that there is tremendous benefit to be derived from social interventions, in the marginalized communities which contribute most of the recruits to criminal activities.

Programmes such as the Citizens Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) and the Community Security Initiatives (CSI) are as cost effective, dollar for dollar, as policing interventions in returning crime torn communities to acceptable levels of civil behaviour.  They are not a substitute for police interventions, but police interventions will not be effective over the long term without social interventions and both need to be coordinated with each other.

The matter goes beyond this however, because as is evident in our school system and in the high levels of domestic violence, there has been a fundamental breakdown of the traditional value system of Jamaican society.  Moreover, we cannot sustain the expectations of our young people to joining the consumer society if 60% or more of them leave school without any certification.  In this environment too many will be seduced by the false promises of the criminal life style.  Confronting the problem of criminality in today's Jamaica will require the mobilization of the entire society and the rehabilitation of our inner cities, our educational system, as well as expanded economic opportunities.  This is not a challenge just to government and even less to the police.  It is a challenge to the entire society - church community, non-governmental organizations, and citizens groups, indeed all of us.

SOME IMMEDIATE CONCERNS

Against the background of these Lessons, I would like to raise a number of immediate concerns:

1. Inadequacy of the Budget Recently Passed

While the budget just recently passed does involve $1B for needed capital investments in motor vehicles and station repairs, the current budget is clearly inadequate as, I believe, is already being realized.  The provisions for the Major Investigations Task Force and for Motorized Patrols for example represent decreases not only in relative terms after taking account of devaluation, but also in absolute terms when compared with last year.  This obviously will leave the police without the basic means of responding to the demands of the community; for more presence and better investigations.

We should not ignore the lessons learnt over the years that we need to sustain our budgetary commitments and they need to be realistic.  The current budget is not realistic where security is concerned.

1. Developments at the Financial Investigations Division (FID)

The second area of concern which I must express, relates to developments at FID.  This Division of necessity will be increasingly critical in confronting the transnational organized networks which are central to the current criminal environment.  Though based in the Ministry of Finance they must work closely with the other law enforcement agencies and with international partners.

They were designated with responsibility for the administration of the proceeds of Crime Act.  It is therefore of concern when senior staff who have been trained at great expense to the Government of Jamaica and our international partners, and who have a record of competence and professionalism are summarily removed and no explanations given.

1. Deportee Issue

A similar concern regarding lack of transparency relates to the changes that have been made in the arrangements to return criminal deportees from the United Kingdom to Jamaica.  While everyone accepts that Jamaica must take responsibility for its citizens who breach the laws of other countries and are thus subject to deportation, we have in the past always insisted on rigorous procedures to determine that those who are being deported are in fact Jamaican nationals and to have the numbers being returned controlled so that the Jamaican law enforcement authorities are not overwhelmed.  We have also sought to secure as full an information dossier as possible regarding the activities and antecedents of those who are being deported.

According to information available, changes have been made to the deportation procedures with regard to deportation from the United Kingdom.  We cannot speak definitively, because the government has made no statement in this regard.  But it is the case that one of the changes is that deportees are now being returned in larger numbers by charter aircraft from the United Kingdom.  In the past the Government of Jamaica had always resisted the use of the Charter Airlift because of the sheer numbers involved.  So far this year there have been three Charters coming from the United Kingdom, I am told, in addition to those deportees coming by commercial aircraft.  Furthermore, there have been changes to the procedures for identification of deportees.

The government may have good reason for these changes; but they need to let the country know what these are.  Equally, we need to know the reasons for making these adjustments prior to concluding new negotiations as part of CARICOM, since the CARICOM States have agreed to make a joint approach to the deporting countries to settle this whole matter of criminal deportation.   The risk that we face is that some of these deportees make our general crime situation worse for our security forces that are already over-stretched.  Moreover by negotiating alone, we may not have been able to secure the levels of collaboration and support from the deporting country to help with the rehabilitation and re-induction of criminal deportees into Jamaica.

THE WAY FORWARD

As we look to confront the recent upsurge in criminal violence, the Minister of National Security and the Security Forces have already indicated that they are intensifying their efforts in critical hot spot areas and enhancing their intelligence gathering in order to target identifiable criminal organizations.  These measures are to be supported and all of us would wish for their success.

In addition to these operational measures however, there are other immediate tasks which in our view must be pursued if we are to get on top of this problem. These measures are not the "be all and end all" of the problem.  They are not a panacea, but we offer them as some important measures which in our view will assist with finding the solutions which we seek.  No doubt other ideas will come forward from the government and others.

• Legislative programmes to enhance the capabilities of the security forces must be put in place.  Some of this legislation had already been drafted and I commend them for the consideration of the government.  These include a Port Security Act that would facilitate the more effective setting and enforcement of security standards for all ports whether public or private and which should assist in reducing the flow of guns through our ports.

• Amendments had also been prepared to the Evidence Act to allow witnesses under threat to give evidence by telecommunications link from secure remote locations and thereby reduce the risk to witnesses.  Much work had also been done in preparing legislation to permit the routine collection of DNA samples from accused persons charged with serious offences on much of the same basis as are now provided for in relation to fingerprints.  This should substantially improve the investigative capabilities of the police.

• There is urgent need to develop some legal frame work which will assist in removing violent criminals off the streets and facilitating the conclusion of police investigations.  Too often the provisions of the Bail Act are exploited and violent criminals are let loose to intimidate and coerce witnesses.  We do not think it appropriate to invoke the powers of a state of emergency in order to achieve this objective.  But we are nevertheless prepared to explore with the government a viable and acceptable response to this particular circumstance.

• An Independent Investigations Authority separate from the police force, but having the relevant and appropriate powers should be established with its focus being specifically on matters of serious transnational organized crime and on the public corruption of national institutions which flows in its wake.  This would be analogous to the Serious Organized Crime Agency in the United Kingdom and would enable the recruitment of a cadre of highly trained motivated and sophisticated investigators who are able to confront he most sophisticated elements in the criminal underworld.

• There needs to be a Corps of Community Safety Officers established to work alongside the police.  These would be civilians, appropriately vetted and of the required integrity, but who would be able to augment the resources of the police and  assist in tasks such as patrolling communities along with the police and monitoring overall the breaches of law and order taking place in communities.  As a country, attempts were made in the past in this regard.  It is perhaps understandable that in the context of those times the experience of the so-called ‘Home Guards' was not successful.  We cannot always remain prisoners to our past however.  It cannot be beyond us as a country to mobilize persons of appropriate patriotic commitment and good will and to motivate them on a voluntary basis to respond to the needs of Jamaica in this time of severe challenge. We are not inviting vigilante justice; rather we seek to mobilize all who have patriotic commitment. We already have the Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Prevention Committees that can provide the nucleus for this effort

• The modernization and reform of the JCF must be intensified using as its basis the now completed Strategic Review of the JCF.  In particular, new work rules to bring the men and women of the police force in line with the rest of the public sector must be implemented.  Similarly, we must move swiftly to expand the numbers to the police force so that the ratio of police to population can be brought more in line with international standards.

• Social intervention programmes of the government need to be extended and greater levels of coordination established both within governmental agencies and between the government and civil society.  In his regard there is an urgent challenge which must be confronted by the Church community of faith which has presence and influence in almost every community across the country. Now is the time for this influence to be mobilized and focused on crime prevention efforts in coordination with the influential programmes and agencies of the state such as the Citizens Security Programme and the Social Development Commission.  Best practices drawn from the experiences of both state institutions and civil society should be shared as these efforts are combined.

• Despite the significant improvements that I believe have been made over the years in the conduct of political parties, more remains to be done.  One important focus of any political reform effort must be in removing any suggestion that violence or the threat of violence has any place in the electoral process in the country.

• It is this concern about the role of violence in politics which I believe is at the heart of the concern that has been expressed about the role of the so-called garrisons in Jamaican politics. 

• How we remove this taint must become the urgent focus of concern, not only of the two parties operating separately and together, but there is possibly a role for civil society and for national institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.  This should become part of the focus of discussions between the two parties.  For, to be able to successfully mobilize the energy and effort of the Jamaican people to confront this spectre of crime, the people will have to have complete confidence in the integrity and sincerity of those who lead in the political process.

CONCLUSION

Mr. Speaker,

I began this presentation by stressing the urgency of the challenge facing this generation-the challenge of turning back the tide of violent criminality that threatens the viability of the Jamaican state and entrenches a culture of violence in the society. A society where violence becomes a primary means of settling inter-personal conflict and the principal means of criminality is a society under real threat. For too many Jamaican families, insecurity is not a threat but a day to day reality, which they endure in fear.

Nevertheless, despite the dangers we face we cannot despair and become hopeless and helpless. Simply put, we cannot give into the criminals. We have to respond at every level.

In this presentation, we have made the case for continued and more intense reform of the entire apparatus of law enforcement.. We have made the case for intensifying the process to upgrade and improve the entire apparatus of law enforcement. We have made the case for more, and more sustained social intervention to improve conditions in inner city and rural communities so that we can offer young men an alternative to the appeals of the criminal gang leaders. And we have made the case for improvements in the education system to ensure that more of the youth leaving school have the skills and attitudes to work in the demanding new global environment.

But the task is not just for the police and the government. This requires a national mobilization of all decent law-abiding Jamaicans: civil society, business, the Church, the media, parents, teachers and educators, workers, trade unions, farmers and community organizations. The task is to rescue Jamaica from the clutches of criminality for our sake and the sake of future generations.

We in this House, on both sides, have a special responsibility of leadership in this task of national mobilization. The question is whether we have the political will and the moral authority to lead that mobilization effort, because it will not happen by itself. Each of us must begin by ensuring that we are not compromised by connections we may have; that we are unequivocal in our support for law enforcement; that we do not give lip service to bipartisan dialogue while at the same time fanning the flames of political tribalism; that we have the courage to isolate drug and crime bosses who seek coverage under our political umbrella. By these deeds, the ordinary men and women who want safe and secure environments for themselves and their families will see and embrace the possibilities in a new collective national effort against the hard men of violence, and to secure the future of this blessed land.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and

May God Bless Jamaica.

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Dr. Phillips offers a crime plan
(Story courtesy of Radio Jamaica 2008-June-10)