The story of extortion forcing the closing of a government project for a week is only shocking to those who don’t live here, but The Gleaner has rightly posited that the lack of surprise, and the wide-reaching nature of extortion is all the more reason to make a concerted effort to end the practice.

Time to end the menace of extortion

A government agency cowering under the threat of extortion was strong evidence of how entrenched this menace has become, with the result that the St Thomas leg of the Southern Coastal Highway project had to be closed for five days.

Reports say the bare-faced criminals found their way onto the site bearing a poorly-worded handwritten note that threatened to murder named individuals if bi-weekly payments were not made to them. The National Works Agency (NWA) spokesman, unable to mask his own fear, explained to the media why the project had to be shut down.

In the extortion world, demands are made by telephone, in writing or in person. We recall that, in 2017, more than 40 letters were delivered to businesses in Clarendon and Manchester demanding weekly or monthly payments. Quick police action intercepted the couriers delivering letters and arrested the alleged mastermind and her four co-conspirators. Our research failed to find out the names of those charged or the status of that case. In other words, the case never got the national attention that it really deserved.

Extortion has long plagued private sector operators in transport, construction and the retail sectors. The illegal act is carried out by organised gangs and sometimes by random opportunists, which may include police officers.

SUFFERED IN SILENCE

Business operators have mostly suffered in silence, electing either to pay up or flee, because they have seen that resistance can be swiftly punished by violent death. Extortion has disrupted businesses in once-buoyant corridors such as Red Hills Road, Mountain View Avenue and Slipe Road in Kingston, after operators decided to flee rather than face the strain of doing business under those circumstances.

Law enforcement has largely failed to put a dent in the extortion racket by catching the criminals and bringing them before the courts. The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) seems quite content to persist with traditional policing methods, instead of undertaking modern, corrective strategies which have worked in other countries where there is a culture of extortion. Trite, old methods is what the JCF continues to rely on to fight crime, with the naïve expectation that they will bring success.

One study we have seen estimates that 40 per cent of construction companies working in Jamaica have experienced extortion. In transportation, the figure was put at 23 per cent and, at the lower end, government projects at 13 per cent.

There is anecdotal evidence that some businesses have reluctantly accepted that the State is incapable of protecting them from extortionists or thieves, and so they consider payments to thugs as an item in the “cost of doing business” column. They have placed thugs on their payroll. Business organisations tend to turn a blind eye to the practice, but operators will admit “off the record” that this system of paying for defence actually works for them.

LIFT THE LID

We believe it is long past the time to lift the lid on extortion. We think the police know most of the players, but allow them to continue with impunity with their nefarious activities. We condemn in the strongest terms any attempt to go easy on these criminals. We demand vigorous investigations, robust prosecution and stiff penalties on conviction.

No one is spared the impact of extortion. Businesses large and small, formal and informal are all targets. We, therefore, are all victims.

When the highway project was launched in 2019, Prime Minister Andrew Holness gave this warning: “This project is not for fattening your pockets. This project is to help the people of St Thomas come out of a hundred years of neglect. This project will be put under the highest level of scrutiny because we know the stories and we are tired of it.”

The highest level of scrutiny is just what we expect.