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USAID Information:
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Jamaica Fights Gangs and Violence Island-wide
FrontLines - May 2010
By Eric Beinhart
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A Jamaican policeman participates in a school activity organized by the USAID COMET Project.
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To bring down its murder
rate—one of the highest in the
world—Jamaica will need to
improve its police force and
address many complex social
and economic root causes of
violence.
Projects to reduce crime and
violence and strengthen economic
competitiveness have been established
in Jamaica’s inner cities.
One of them is the Community
Empowerment and Transformation
(COMET) Project, set up by
USAID in 2006 in Kingston.
COMET aims for an islandwide
impact by working with the
Jamaica Constabulary Force
(JCF) and by supporting policy
change, rather than investing in
an individual city or community.
The program focuses on
training the JCF and the Social
Development Commission to
deliver services while strengthening
the relationship between
the police and community. The
police become part of the community
rather than just law
enforcement figures. The ultimate
goal—crime reduction and
improved quality of life.
Guns and gangs still undermine
governance in Jamaica’s
inner city communities, eroding
the rule of law and contributing
to the rise of gang leaders or
“dons.” In some communities,
dons control all facets of life,
including delivering basic services
that governments normally
provide.
USAID-COMET first hosted
the conference “Guns, Gangs and
Governance,” which brought
together youth, NGOs, the police,
academia, and entertainment to
analyze the problem. COMET
has since worked to address
Jamaica’s gang phenomenon
while the government has developed
a strategy to reduce the
problem.
“I am impressed with
USAID-COMET’s significant
network cutting across governments,
NGOs, universities, and
law enforcement,” said Samuel
Blake, director of the Organized
Crime and Defense Unit in the
Ministry of National Security.
“This resource is not just an
invaluable asset to the [unit]. It
is also a significant contribution
to crime prevention and community
safety in Jamaica.”
COMET’s support has
provided increased safety and
security to several inner city
communities. Violent crime in
Flanker has decreased significantly
in the past several years
due in part to the efforts of the
Flanker Peace and Justice Center,
which received assistance
from COMET.
The program helped the JCF
develop community-based policing
policy guidelines and training
manuals; aided the development
of safety and security plans in 56
communities; and established a
hotline for anonymously reporting
corruption as well as the National
Integrity Action Forum, which
brings together state agencies
with anti-corruption mandates.
The lessons learned from the
COMET Project in Jamaica are
being applied to other USAID
community-based policing
programs.
“COMET is one of the best
projects funded by an international
partner and is a big shoe
for any other project to fill,” said
Assistant Commissioner of
Police Novelette Grant.
★
For more information on the
USAID Comet Project, contact
Christina Davis at chridavis@usaid.gov.
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
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