Crime, an epidemic in SVG

Editor: St Vincent and the Grenadines is home to one of the highest crime areas in the world, with a homicide rate of about 30 per 100,000 people. Keep in mind that the murder rate in the USA is about 4.9 per 100,000 persons, with many small cities and towns of 200,000 to 300,000 people, having only two to three murders in each year. The authorities would like to take comfort in the fact that there are other Caribbean countries that are in a similar position to us, so we need not be concerned.

The notion that most of the murders are perpetrated by drug dealers, who settle scores with other drug dealers is without merit. While it may be so for murders, other crimes, such as rape, burglaries, assaults and other violent crimes, are not usually linked to drug activity. Besides being in the top 20 list in the world for homicide rates, St Vincent and the Grenadines accounts for about one third of all yacht crimes in the Caribbean, and places fourth in the world of reported cases of rape against women, according to a UN report. A misconception is that crimes are related to unemployment and if we have greater employment, the crime problem will just vanish. The inclusion of places like Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas in the top 20 list of homicide rates in the world clearly debunks this perception. If we exclude foreign nationals, Trinidad and Tobago is the third richest country per capita in the Americas, only after the United States and Canada. The Bahamas also is one of the richest states in the Americas. These two countries also have one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the world. If these countries are so rich, then there must be other factors driving these criminal activities.

There are areas we need to consider if we are serious about reducing crime. One is the justice system. The only method we have devised over the years is to hustle lawbreakers off to prison, no matter how minor the offence was. We need to relook at punishment imposed on individuals for the non-adherence of laws, where violations of civil offences and petty crimes, the punishment should include community service, with no criminal record, and prisons are reserved for only persons who are a danger to society or themselves. The society will be much better off if minor offenders are made to repay the offended, wash the drains and sidewalks, scrub the walls, floors, roofs, and washrooms of public buildings, keep the side of roads trim and clean, keep the beaches and rivers clean, plant trees etc, rather than sending these young offenders to prison, and attracting a criminal record. Mingling with seasoned criminals is just going to exaggerate the situation.

One may argue that community service, as described, will put working people out of work, but this is a very myopic way of looking at it. Imagine all the beaches and rivers throughout SVG are kept clean, all the public buildings kept clean and painted, all the potholes are filled, and all the landscaping in public spaces are well manicured. If one is worried about the daily employees performing these tasks, losing their jobs, fear not, as the cleanliness of our society and improvement in the behaviour of our people, is a prerequisite of better employment opportunities, as more businesses will be created and present businesses will expand, because of an acceleration of commerce.

In some countries, probation is part of the process where prisoners are released for ‘good behaviour’. In this way, it’s an incentive for prisoners to improve their behaviour, so that they could get early release from prisons. The opposite should also be considered, in that if a prisoner’s behaviour worsens while he or she is incarcerated, especially when that person is placed in maximum security because they are dangerous to other inmates, that prisoner should not be released into society, even though the imposed sentence time was served. If the prisoner is a danger to other inmates, don’t you think they will be a danger to society when released?

The media should play a more leading role in discouraging criminal activities, and although they are responsible for reporting crimes, it could be done in a less dramatic way. Both print and electronic media need to be unrelenting in encouraging people to be more tolerant of each other, more trustworthy in our everyday dealings, and also to educate the populace to know the laws and regulations, and to know their rights. Could you imagine two teams going out on a cricket field without the knowledge of the rules of the games? Not many games will be completed, as there will be constant argument and fighting.

We have to start creating an environment where we could reduce anger in people, for that is the root cause of all crimes. One only has to stroll through Kingstown, especially in the market and bus terminals area and experience people expressing their anger and displeasure at each other with a threat of violence from time to time. Too often, we tend to take out our anger and frustration on others, especially on younger ones or on those we perceive are inferior to us. There must be a way of identifying child and women abuse and a solution to it. Too often this type of behaviour is allowed to go unattended, and the result, a domino effect occurs where this behaviour is handed down to others. Also, when people have the perception of being deprived in one way or the other, the result is hate, and anger controls their minds consistently. Some people believe they are left out of the benefits the rest of the population are enjoying and therefore have to engage themselves in unpleasant activities as a way of getting back what they are deprived of.

If this was a disease epidemic, there would be mobilization of all sorts. You would see all sorts of medical consultants flying here to do their bit, the Government, religious organizations, NGO’s etc, all mobilizing to combat the terror of the disease; but crime, nothing. I just cannot understand it. Is this the case of denial by the authorities, or is pure ineptitude setting in? We need to start the process now, otherwise it’s only going to worsen.

Michael Gibson