EDITORIAL - Worrisome October crime stats

We do not begrudge the police one bit for crowing over the decline in the number of reported crimes - particularly homicides, compared to the corresponding periods last year - since the overthrow of the Tivoli Gardens warlords in May, and the forced retreat of criminal networks elsewhere.

But as we warned during the premature and mishandled collapse of the state of emergency that followed the Tivoli insurrection, the authorities had to be careful about overbilling what happened as a defeat of the criminals.

It was similarly ridiculous of the Opposition to attempt to portray Tivoli Gardens and its strongmen as powerful and as the monopoly franchisers of violence in Jamaica, whose demise would somehow usher in a period of sustained calm, if not bliss. That was always silly politics.

We are minded to reflect on these issues in the face of the recently released police data on crime, and in particular, murders for the month of October.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), in its narrative to the figures, notes that homicides this past October, at 102, were 76, or 43 per cent, fewer than for the same month in 2009.

Said the police: "The decline of 76 murders represents the second-largest reduction for 2010. There were 77 fewer murders in July 2010 compared to July 2009."

There must be very few Jamaicans, if any at all, who would not be thankful for this comparative trend. This newspaper has a concern, however, which, unfortunately, was not addressed in the JCF's analysis of the figures. While the year-on-year performance was encouraging, as the police pointed out, the number of homicides this past October represents the first rise in murders in any month since the numbers began to trend down in June.

Public pressure

Indeed, the 102 murders in October was a hike of 24, or 31 per cent, compared to the 78 in September. Indeed, it is the highest since the 187 of May when criminals tested the State, and the Government was forced by public pressure to end its powder-puff petting of Christopher Coke.

Hopefully, the October homicide number represents an aberration from the recent pattern rather than a return to old trends. The figure is deserving of some analysis and explanation from the police.

The crime situation insists upon their utmost diligence.

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