Dear Editor,
For the second time in two years, the Police Service Commission will be required to appoint a new commissioner of police. It was no secret that the Government and some influential members of the private sector were unhappy with the performance of the police force in dealing with the crime situation and, as always, somebody, which usually means the commissioner of police, would have to go … more

Dr. Sawyers reportedly said: “Our laws are old. Our penalties are too weak, and if we don’t do anything about them, then we will keep going down … We need to press our legislators to improve on our present laws, especially the penalties. The penalties are too weak and that is the biggest cause of crime … In certain countries you will be sent to prison for assaulting a police officer. In our country, you would have been fined $100. You are not even tried in the RM (Resident Magistrate’s) court, you are tried in the Petty Sessions court.”

Sawyers also reportedly added that improved legislation would also help steer youngsters from criminal lifestyles, and make it more difficult for persons to pay fines to secure their freedom. He said that contrary to popular belief, legislative inefficiencies are in fact responsible for Jamaica’s high crime rate, and not unemployment, drugs, poverty, lack of educational opportunities or political tribalism.