Mark Shields to speak on crime in Jamaica at CIN Lecture

For the past 14 years, the CIN Lecture Series has provided the premier vehicle for discourse on issues affecting Jamaica and the diaspora, and soon, Mark Shields, former deputy commissioner of police in Jamaica and former detective chief superintendent of Scotland Yard, will be the keynote speaker at the 14th Annual CIN Lecture Series.

Shields will present on the topic 'Jamaica's Crime Monster ... Can it be Tamed?'

Shields joins a long list of presenters including academics, activists, businessmen, legal minds and politicians, giving interesting insight on topics including the environment, cultural identity, the Caribbean diaspora, economic development, prosperity, and now crime.

In 2017, Jamaica, with a population of 2.7 million, recorded more than 1,600 murders with a homicide rate of 60 per 100,000 members of the population. In 2018, even as the country's economy grows with the recent rating as one of the best countries in the world to do business, crime seems to be woven into the fabric of the society. In September 2018, 32 persons were murdered across the island over the first eight days of the month, still a major problem for a country trying to grow the economy. In comparison to the same time last year, murders are down by 22 per cent.

Shields, who now operates Shields Crime and Security Consultants, an international crime and security sector consultancy based in Kingston, has promised to "give a stark, sincere evaluation of the Government's plans to solve crime in Jamaica, the social issues that need to be addressed in order to completely rid Jamaica of the crime monster and how the Jamaica Constabulary Force can be transformed".

Each year, the Annual CIN Lecture Series attracts a full audience of more than 600 persons, and this year is expected to be no different. Persons interested in hearing how crime can be tackled in Jamaica can join us at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York on October 24 at 7 p.m. The CIN Lecture will also be streamed online via The Gleaner's website at www.jamaica-gleaner.com or via the Caribbean International Network's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/​CINTVJamaica.