Addressing a grave problem with development programmes

Jul 11, 2015 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
There is no doubt that we have witnessed an upsurge in violent crime, especially gun crime since the 2000. So grave is the problem, it has not escaped the attention of President David Granger, his cabinet and the security forces.
As it relates to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) any planned initiative must simultaneously address supply reduction and demand reduction. Moreover, there must be stricter mechanisms governing legitimate firearms. These should include: inspection and compliance, custom supervision, end-use monitoring and verification, investigation in event of violation and prosecution of violation.
The proliferation of illicit SALW has its origin in legal flow of weapons. Therefore, the origin of every illicit weapon confiscated by the law enforcement agencies should be established. This will allow policy makers to develop and implement relevant policies to combat this scourge. The UN Register of Conventional Arms allows for transparency in the transfer of arms. Hence, it is easy to detect at what stage weapons enter the illicit domain.
Supply-side disarmament intervention primarily serves to remove illicit weapons from the hands of criminal and other individuals. For example, in Brazil the Disarmament Statute facilitated the voluntary collection of small arms and revolved around a weapon buyback programme with amnesty.
At the end of the exercise there was an 11% decrease in firearm-related deaths in Rio de Janerio (Dreyfus et al 2008). Nevertheless, success of such initiatives is highly dependent upon building trust and public confidence which can be fostered by the broadening and widening of the democratic process and the reformation of the state security apparatus, judicial and penal system to better serve the citizens.
Another intervention method is the “Consent to Search” which was launched in St Louis, Michigan, USA 1994 to 1996. It involved law enforcement agency searching the homes of known young criminal elements with the consent of their parents and in cases where guns were found they were granted immunity from prosecution. At the end of the intervention 530 guns were recovered, a significant amount when compared to other methods where search warrants and forced entry were used (SAS 2006).
On the other hand, the demand reduction approach for SALW is concerned with factors that influence people to acquire and possess legal or illicit firearms. Large acquisition of SALW by individuals and communities is indicative of state failure, since it demonstrates low confidence in the state’s ability to provide security. Arguably, the strength of the state is measured by its ability and willingness to provide fundamental political goods associated with its functions: physical security, legitimate political institution, economic management and social welfare.
Restoring public institutions therefore requires a positive change in the state behaviour that will engender public safety and security. This is achieved through public participation in decision making, monitoring and evaluation of results. Admittedly, a key function of the state is to prevent violence by collaborating with key stakeholders and implementing relevant initiatives.
The state is legally empowered to use force in service of compliance with state laws to maintain order and protect the vulnerable. In the execution of this role, agents of the state must not abuse citizens or abdicate their responsibilities, because this will inevitably result in loss of confidence in ability of the law enforcement agency in executing its role.
Moreover, no demand reduction strategy will be successful if critical stakeholders do not have confidence in the law enforcement agency to protect them; hence law enforcement agencies must work tirelessly to restore their image.
Lamentably, individuals who are economically deprived are more susceptible to criminal attitudes, including armed violence. Their plight is made worse by limited job opportunities, weak state institutions and poor governance.  Hence, alleviating the conditions of the under privileged requires of government to implement economic and social development programmes.
Generally, people’s attitude and behaviour toward gun ownership change as development projects deliver substantial success. Economic development programmes should be influenced by strong macroeconomic and fiscal policies that promote a climate that is conducive to economic growth, while social programmes should seek to promote better and improved education, health and other social services.
Lelon Saul

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