Govt must get ZOSO right

Let’s say that, by September 2027, we want to be in a position, as a country, to evaluate Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) performance.

That means the authorities would share transparent metrics such as homicide reduction and conviction rates, but also social development outcomes. The reduction of crime and the improvement of social development outcomes should work hand in hand in any good programme. That is the premise behind ZOSO – crime containment and community well-being.

Tangible accountability for reducing the number of gangs, or some strategy which facilitates a truce among gangs, or both, should also be a measured metric.

Twelve months from now, we should have institutionalised, working community policing models across the nine police divisions, for the purpose of rebuilding trust in law enforcement.

But to do this 12 months from now means we must pass the ZOSO bill soon.

A recent British government report identified 186 gangs, about 1,750 gang members, aligned to two principal gangster networks.

How can the authorities agree to have the citizenry live with these potentially loose cannons as a perpetual source of threats not just to citizens but to the State itself?

“After such knowledge, what forgiveness?”

All the information that the British got, they got from local sources. I think a question that has to be asked is, why has nothing been done about it for so long?

What is the fresh, multipronged plan? A crime plan that will actually work is a sensitive matter and it might be injudicious to advertise it; but the police must have one. And the minister and National Security Council should know and monitor, and the authorities must be on the same page to achieve clear objectives.

No one wants streets and communities overrun by and controlled by gangs. People do not want gang warfare erupting ever so often. People don’t want to read about murders and crime in the newspapers, with a feeling of powerlessness and a sense of fear for their safety.

People don’t want gangs moving into their communities and causing havoc. Citizens do not wish to see violent crimes escalating in our country. Citizens don’t want to begin to feel again that crime is out of control and the authorities do not have the means and wherewithal to seize control of the situation.

So how do we fix it? The Government says ZOSO will fix it, that it has helped in Jamaica and it can work here.

I recommend to the Opposition and Independent Senators that we give it a try. The disposition seems to be there.

The end of the SoE means the end of extraordinary police powers. This will create an enforcement vacuum and a sustainability gap. Warrantless searches, detentions without charge and suspended bail provisions are now over. And all existing detainees have to be charged or released. Most will be released.

In the real world, such things have implications. Our country needs a bridging mechanism.

The structural drivers of violence – firearms trafficking, prison-based criminal networks and youth gang recruitment systems have all remained intact.

The Government is offering ZOSO as a system and structure, with some success in Jamaica, as an integrated, institutional, intelligence-based and socio-economic strategy. Critics want three assurances – security operations, yes; but with civil liberties safeguards and an active socio-economic strategy.

This is not an unreasonable position and the Government must engage to build a parliamentary consensus. It will be good for Parliament, for politics and for the transition from the SoE. It will be good for communities and our country in the long run if we can contain the crime and restore marginalised, vulnerable communities by initiating economic gains and building trust – through jobs, youth mentorships and upgrading the urban environment. Making schools, teachers, parents and communities work for the common good can make a big difference.

The whole country needs to feel safer.

But the inter-agency capabilities of the TTPS, the Defence Force and the Prisons Service must find a way to severely disrupt criminal syndicates, in which it is clear officers of these agencies are complicit. However, action against criminals must now be done WITHOUT the exceptional constitutional powers a SoE grants.

And a 12-month Government plan that can be measured, as suggested in my opening paragraphs, will help. Citizens will have an idea of where T&T is headed. If Parliament wants to hold Government to account, it must give Government a fair opportunity to perform. If Government wants parliamentary support, it has a duty to engage Opposition and Independents meaningfully.