Crime Stop, partners bank on art to help drive culture shift
Published:Wednesday | March 1, 2023 | 12:35 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer
Canadian High Commissioner Emina Tudakovic on Monday noted that the level of crime in the island is a concern.
“I can say as an outsider; we are always limited in what we can say,” she prefaced her comments as she spoke during a ceremony for the unveiling of a mural in Greater Brown’s Town in Dunkirk, St Andrew.
“The security situation here it makes you pause as an outsider because you come to a country such as Jamaica and you meet the most vibrant, interesting people, probably almost anywhere. Yet you have this blight (crime); it’s an issue,” Tudakovic noted.
“So I really applaud the work that you are doing in terms of moving forward in cleaning up the community level,” she said, directing her remarks to the strong detachment of members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who turned out for the occasion.
The mural is one of three being installed by Crime Stop under its Promoting Crime Reduction, Prevention and Conflict Resolution project, which is backed by a Canada Fund of Local Initiatives grant.
The overall project also is aimed at boosting the capacity of the organisation to engage citizens in communities that are considered crime-prone, with community engagements in the Kingston Central and Eastern divisions over seven months.
In collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Community Safety & Security Branch, the Crime Stop team was able to have interactive, intimate conversations with citizens on crime reduction and prevention measures.
The mural was installed with the assistance of Kingston Creative and the McIntyre Villa Community Development Committee Benevolent Society, our first mural under this project has been installed in the Greater Brown’s Town community.
Tudakovic noted that art gives people hope and a sense of purpose.
“This is what I think is really important about this work. People look at this and have a sense of hope and have that sense of memory and that sense of place and a sense of belonging because this is your community. It gives you a sense of taking back the place because It’s nice and it’s yours,” she said.
On Monday, Sandra Glasgow, chairperson of the National Crime Prevention Fund, noted that in its 33 years of operation, Crime Stop Jamaica has received 3,275 tips with a success rate of one in eight cases cleared up, resulting in arrests and charges.
During that time, it has paid out more than $62 million in reward money, claimed by a mere seven per cent of tipsters to its 311 confidential hotline. No source has ever been compromised, she added.
“These prove that Jamaicans are using our programme to help mitigate crime and violence in their communities,” said Glasgow.
“We know that the informer fi dead culture is very much alive in Jamaica. But we believe it is our duty to help to encourage a shift away from this thinking and reiterate the responsibility that each Jamaican has, to ensure that crime and violence is reduced in our communities and in our beloved country. We have plenty of evidence to show that this shift is occurring,” she added.
Glasgow used the opportunity to appeal to residents of crime-plagued inner-city communities to continue to access its services.
“Crime Stop remains successful because citizens like you believe this and live by this credo. We need Crime Stop to be visible and accessible in communities like McIntyre Villa, so that we can together recapture the attention of all our citizens,” she added. “One seizure of a firearm, one arrest of a wanted person can make a difference.”