Better national security efforts has remained at the forefront of every sector of Jamaican society as efforts are pursued to fight this ogre that accounts for around 5 per cent of the country’s GDP. Businesses see it as an impediment to greater investments in Jamaica as they stand by and watch their security costs continually escalating.

Private security companies like Guardsman Limited which is headed by Kenny Benjamin play an invaluable role in securing businesses and take both a forensic and segmented approach to the business of security, one that can prove of invaluable assistance to state authorities in the fight against rising crime. More often than not the business of security and the security of businesses are inextricably linked. Such is the threat of crime to the national interest – indeed its viability that a public/private approach is needed and a national consensus should coalesce around that practicality.

This notion was the subject of a business luncheon hosted by Guardsman Limited at its headquarters at Old Hope Road in Kingston on Tuesday where its chairman Kenneth Benjamin made the case for a more collaborative approach.

“Too often we view national efforts through fragmented lenses and much too easily align ourselves into tribal camps. We must remember that the endgame is defeating a common enemy, not building rival kingdoms. I cannot overstate the primacy of public-private partnerships in safeguarding Jamaica.

“The private providers, the constabulary and the military are components of a common strike force against the hydra-headed monster of crime. We can all agree that the prevention of crime is more desirable than post facto solutions. In this regard surveillance is a key element in the containment of crime.”

Chief Security Officer of alumna giant, Alcoa International ,Major Noel Williams argued that the state forces where already stretched and that private firms can ably assist them in protecting businesses. He drew attention to the value of training , particularly if private security guards are to collaberate more closely with the police force. He said that this joint approach could be very useful at national ports and in the fight against the drug trade.

Benjamin pointed out that there are currently 15,000 men and women working as private security guards and that together with the innovations in surveillance technology a multiplier effect is achieved that can only help with crime detection.

“No human system is perfect, so when we fail to prevent a crime from occurring, the partnership can be a seamless sequence where the private security force can support the work of the police by securing the crime scene to preserve the quality of evidence needed to facilitate investigations, leading to more timely closure by convictions,” said the Guardsman boss.

Here he states the case well but is not advocating that there is some kind of parity with the police force, quite the contrary. He was most definitive in declaring that security forces can never replace the police force nor should they even try.

“The discussion needs to be about smoother baton changes to reduce response and solution times,” Benjamin added.

A more collaborative approach has already paid dividends as seen in the Tivoli situation said ACP Leslie Green of the Criminal Investigation Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Addressing the audience of business personalities and law enforcement agents, Green said that both JCF and the JDF worked well in tandem to eradicated the criminal elements that had a strangle hold on the Tivoli Gardens enclave. He used an example of an inner city area which was taken over by gun men becoming a no-go zone for the police. Working together with the military allowed them to go in there and do their jobs.

Turning his attention to the latest crime figures he said that prior to the effort to capture Dudus in Tivoli Gardens in May, crime was up 10 per cent year on year. After the armed forces moved in crime has declined by 15 per cent with a decline in shootings. Shootings account for 80 per cent of all killings in Jamaica. This year has also recorded a better detection rate with 67 more murder cases and 81 more shootings solved this year compared with last year which is a 10 per cent increase in the JCF’s clear up rate.

The figures are as follows: Murder 2010-1380; 2009-1625;2008-1576, spelling a 15 per cent reduction for this year.

Shootings 2010-1447;2009-1631,2008-1498 translating to a 11 per cent reduction for 2010.

“This demonstrates a real change from the increases that existed up to May and the dramatic turn down since then.

Green reported that there was an uptick in arrests and that this was putting an additional burden on an overburdened judicial system that moved notoriously slow in convicting criminals. He further added that it was incumbent on the media not to sensationalise but to accurately record and report the court proceedings.

As far as a closer partnership with private guards is concerned he was of the view that the idea can be entertained but clear lines of roles and duties must be delineated. The local police force face enormous financial challenges and effective assistance is welcomed in instances where guards can help with crime scenes and in other areas.

He made a a telling point in stressing that security companies should ensure that the guards are engaged and that their duties do not become simply mundane and monotonous with very little human interaction. In other words, their duties could encompass more and go beyond the more traditional scope.

The Chief of Defence Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, Major General Anthony Anderson gave a most insightful and pertinent presentation using international examples of public private partnerships to fight crime. As far as Jamaica is concerned, he was encouraged that the discussion is being led by the private sector which is a clear indication of the understanding on the private sector’s side that for a number of reasons forging partnerships is a sensible thing to do and something worth actively pursuing.

“In a relatively small country like ours, economically challenged as we are, it is perhaps more critical to develop partnerships that will prevent or mitigate against the effects of crime, terrorism or natural disasters. The synergies created and the efficiencies realised through public private partnerships will redound to us being more resilient if and when incidents occur and preferably through shared information and intelligence we will prevent things from happening,” said Major General Anderson.

Jamaica’s and much of the English-speaking Caribbean’s dependence on tourism did not escape the senior army officer’s attention, and its vulnerabilities to terrorism is a cause for concern necessitating a joint effort by all parties concerned. He said that according to statistics from Indonesia, after the October Bali bombings in 2002, the number of tourist arrivals decreased by 59.6 per cent by the following month which was November. Arrivals dropped by 40 per cent nationally with hotel occupancy rates below 40 per cent. One hundred thousand people became jobless. Bali developed the highest per capita consumption of anti-depressants in Indonesia.

“I think we need to be cognizant of the possible impact of such an event occurring in Jamaica because one of the key things that will assist in recovery is how we appear to be handling such a situation in the eyes of the international media, ” said Major General Anderson.

Public private partnerships have worked in the Caribbean more notably in the planning of the ICC Cricket World Cup back in 2007 of which Major General Anderson played a pivotal role.

“One of the concepts that we pushed was that security was everyone’s business and that it was ” safe in our hands” and the our was the entire population knowing that the more eyes and ears are available is the better. However, in order to take advantage of these eyes and ears, there must be heightened awareness of security matters and a mechanism to receive information and analyse it and channel it appropriately,” concluded the Major General.