Crime in The Caribbean Part 1
The entire Caribbean region is spinning into a dangerous whirlpool
of crime from whence it may never return. It is now accepted by regional and
international agencies, that crime is becoming a major obstacle to national
development and if allowed to increase, may very well have negative effects on
foreign investment.
Many Caribbean nationals both home and abroad, yearn for a
time when they could leave their homes, venture far and wide, and return to
find their properties intact. We are afraid to inform them that dwelling in the
land of nostalgia will not solve the crime problem.
We have no doubt that the increase in crime, has its genesis
in the use of illegal drugs and the illegal drug trade. It is known that when
the use of illegal drugs, started to rear its ugly head in the 1970’s, governments
dismissed the trend as nothing more than students returning from the university
of the West indies campus in Mona Jamaica. When that excuse became stale they then
focused on the Rastafarian community accusing them of spreading the use of
marijuana throughout the region.
However, progressive social scientists, were trying to point
out that the fledging drug culture was a result of the then growing tourists
industry and the influence of foreign lifestyles. Many hotel workers can attest
to the fact that some tourists, on arrival, openly asked about the availability
of drugs such as cocaine. The roots of the hardcore drug trade were very firmly
being planted. Of course the belief that the finest” weed” was to be found in
the Caribbean was also a factor.
The shift from the agricultural base to the tourist and service
industries brought with it many negatives. We put the pursuit of the “almighty”
dollar and the desperate need to raise foreign exchange, before the proper and progressive
development of our economies, societies and communities. We abandoned the
concept of productivity, diligence, neighbourliness and family, as we adjusted
our mentalities to the individualistic norms of the developed countries. Our leaders
discarded our true identity and allowed the building of hotels to replace the building
of the emerging Caribbean citizen, with the fragrance of independence fresh in
their nostrils. We threw out the baby with the bath water.
As we opened our sea and air ports to millions of foreigners,
we also opened our countries to a brutal foreign cultural penetration. While we
do not blame the tourist industry exclusively, we cannot deny that the new
model of development, dramatically brought about a very defining change in our
countries and civility toward each other stated to disappear.A perfect breeding ground for crime because many
citizens began to feel marginalized.
Next: The crime trends.
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