Holistic Approach to Crime Fighting Needed – Dr. Phillips

Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, has underscored the need for a holistic approach to fighting crime, noting that successful crime fighting needed legal, social and economic interventions.
“Policing by itself, no matter how efficient, will not create the socially cohesive and economically productive society that all decent Jamaicans want. Increased opportunities for training and employment must go hand in hand with new techniques of law enforcement. We must get the economy not only to grow, but to provide more jobs, and we must heal the wounds in our communities that separate citizen from citizen,” he stated.
Dr. Phillips, who was speaking at the official opening and dedication of the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre in Montego Bay on Monday (Feb.19), said that the Ministry, with assistance from local and international partners, had launched a number of initiatives aimed at providing communities with a better resource base, and improved access to opportunities.
The initiatives, which include the Citizens Security and Justice Programme, the Police Social Intervention Strategy and the Community Security Initiative, are aimed at empowering citizens to distance themselves from the criminal minority, which is the source of violence and disorder.
According to Dr. Phillips close to $200 million would be spent in inner city communities over the next year, as part of the Police Social Intervention Strategy.
Meanwhile, in terms of interventions in Montego Bay, the National Security Minister announced that over the next six weeks, the Citizens Security and Justice Programme in collaboration with the Peace Management Initiative will be training some 200 persons to be lay counsellors.
He said that other aspects of engagement through the Citizens Security and Justice Programme would also be implemented in areas of the city.