NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (AND PM-HOPEFUL)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 000829

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

WHA/CAR (BENT),SOUTHCOM J7 (RHANNAN)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KCRM SNAR JM
SUBJECT: NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (AND PM-HOPEFUL)
ANNOUNCES WAR ON CRIME

(U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified. Please
handle accordingly.


1. (U) Summary: Prompted by an escalating murder rate, on
March 17 Minister of National Security Peter Phillips, in an
address to graduates of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF)
training academy announced: "We are at war. The criminal
gangs that have been spawned by the illegal drug trade have
established their tentacles in selective communities where
they use bribery and paramilitary violence to maintain
control." The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF),National Reserve,
and JCF will target what Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas
has identified as the most volatile areas of Jamaica.
Although 2004 was a record year for crime, there is already
in 2005 a 52 percent increase in the murder rate compared to
the same time last year. The GOJ has recruited officers from
the UK, passed fingerprinting legislation and tabled the Plea
Bargaining bill in Parliament, all in an effort to combat
crime. End Summary.


2. (U) On March 17, Minister of National Security Peter
Phillips, addressing graduates of the Jamaica Constabulary
Force (JCF) Police Academy in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine,
announced, "We are at war. The criminal gangs that have been
spawned by the illegal drug trade have established their
tentacles in selective communities where they use bribery and
paramilitary violence to maintain control." ( Note: In a
recent seizure, the JCF retrieved six AK-47s, three sniper
rifles, one M-16, two shotguns, one Intratec-Nine sub-machine
gun, a silencer, assorted rounds of ammunition, and two
ballistic vests.) Phillips said that with the full backing
of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and the Cabinet, the Jamaica
Defense Force (JDF) and National Reserve will assist the JCF
in an all-out effort against criminal gangs. (Note: The
National Reserve is the reserve battalion of the JDF which is
deployed during times of natural disaster or crisis. End
note.) The deployment of the National Reserve at this time
means that there will be extra military personnel to assist
the JCF. This collaboration of military and police will
target what Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas has
identified as the most volatile areas of Jamaica: St.
Catherine North and South, St. James, St. Andrew South, and
Kingston East. The deployment of military officers is
expected to remain until "calm and normalcy" is restored to
these communities.


3. (U) This is not the first time the JDF has assisted the
police in the fight against crime. The JDF often accompany
the JCF on police patrols to enforce curfews, conduct
searches and clamp down on crime in volatile areas. As
Minister Phillips is vying for the leadership of the People's
National Party (PNP) and ultimately the position of prime
minister, he has a political interest in wanting to be seen
as doing everything possible to combat crime. There has been
wide speculation in the media that by virtue of Phillip's
position as the nation's security minister, the ultimate
responsibility for the escalating crime and the record murder
rate rests with him.


4. (U) In the first three months of 2005 Jamaica has seen a
52 percent increase in murders compared to the same time last
year. GOJ officials have attributed this increase to the
success of Operation Kingfish and a resulting decrease in
drugs on the island (and thereby reducing the size of the
criminal proceeds pie that gang members are now fighting
over) as well as a lack of resources for the JCF. Statistics
compiled by the JCF show thirty percent of homicides were
gang related and 41 percent were committed during the
commission of other criminal acts such as robbery, burglary
and rape. As of March 20, there had been over 370 homicides
in Jamaica in 2005.


5. (U) The Minister has also called for outside help in the
fight against crime. On March 1, London Metropolitan Police
Chief, Mark Shields, a 29 year veteran, began his secondment
to the JCF as Deputy Commissioner in charge of crime, the
second-ranking position in the JCF after Thomas. Shields is
expected to implement strategies to reduce the homicide rate
and develop an efficient and systematic approach to the
deployment of police resources. Ten additional UK officers
will provide the JCF with technical expertise in the areas of
investigative techniques and case preparation and will also
provide training for selected senior members of the JCF.


6. (U) On March 8, the House of Representatives passed an
amendment to the Fingerprints Act which will allow police to
take fingerprints and photographs of suspected persons,
including minors between the age of 12 and 17 years, without
a court order. The bill allows for the destruction of prints
and photographs by the Fingerprint Bureau after an acquittal
and also for all minors once they reach the age of 18. This
has been deemed by senior officials in the police, government
and private sector as a much needed step towards getting a
handle on alleged criminals that have successfully slipped
through the cracks for the lack of the JCF's ability to
properly identify and track them. Plea bargaining
legislation has been tabled in Parliament but is not yet
scheduled for debate.


7. (SBU) Comment: While the assistance of the JDF and the
National Reserve seems a prudent measure, what is often
missing from the equation is a lack of will in some key
sectors of Jamaican society to confront crime head-on.
Although it might be unfair to describe Phillips' motives in
announcing this "war" as purely political, as the race heats
up as to who will succeed Prime Minister Patterson, the crime
issue can make or break his candidacy. If Phillips can gain
and maintain public confidence in his latest anti-crime
initiative, he knows it can only facilitate his higher
political aspirations. Whatever Phillips' core motives, he
and the GOJ increasingly appreciate that they must get a grip
on the crime situation in its social, economic, judicial and
security aspects.
TIGHE