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High crime
eroding Caribbean growth -UN/World Bank report |
`The drug trade drives crime in a number of ways;
through violence tied to trafficking, by normalising illegal
behaviour, by diverting criminal justice from other
activities, by provoking property crime related to
addiction...
May, 4, 2007: High crime rates, narcotics trafficking
and violence in the Caribbean are undermining growth,
threatening human welfare and impeding social development,
according to a new report released yesterday by the World
Bank and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
But it recommended that interdiction needs to be
complemented by other strategies outside the region -
principally demand reduction in consumer countries and
eradication and/or alternative development in producer
countries.
The report, entitled: "Crime, Violence and Development:
Trends, Costs and Policy Options in the Caribbean" said that
crime impacts business and is a major obstacle to
investment. "In many countries, as crime increases, access
to financing declines, spending on formal and informal
security measures increases; and worker productivity
declines. Estimates suggest that reducing the homicide rate
by one third could more than double the region's rate of per
capita economic growth," the report said. |
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It also suggested that policies within the region should
focus on limiting the availability of firearms and on
providing meaningful activity for youth. According to the
report, gun ownership is an outgrowth of the drug trade and
in some countries, of politics and associated garrison
communities.
The report stated that although reducing gun ownership is
difficult, better gun registries, marking and tracking can
help, as can improved gun interdiction in ports.
Death and injuries from youth violence constitute a major
threat to public health and social and economic progress
across the Caribbean.
The report said that since Caribbean nations have limited
resources to fight the drug trade, significant assistance
should come from the destination countries in support of
interdiction efforts.
Wedged between the world's source of cocaine to the south
and its primary consumer markets to the north, the Caribbean
is a transit point for a torrent of narcotics, with a street
value that exceeds the value of the entire legal economy.
"Compounding their difficulties, Caribbean countries have
large coastlines and territorial waters and many have weak
criminal justice systems that are easily overwhelmed," the
report said in its Executive Summary.
It said too that while levels of crime and associated
circumstances vary country by country, the strongest
explanation for the relatively high rates of crime and
violence in the region is narco-trafficking.
"The drug trade drives crime in a number of ways; through
violence tied to trafficking, by normalising illegal
behaviour, by diverting criminal justice from other
activities, by provoking property crime related to
addiction, by contributing to the widespread availability of
firearms, and by undermining and corrupting societal
institutions," the summary said.
The report said that there has been an over-reliance on the
criminal justice approach to crime reduction in the region,
to the detriment of other complementary approaches which can
be effective in reducing certain types of crime and
violence.
According to the report programmes such as citizens security
initiatives, which combine modern methods of policing with
prevention interventions undertaken by both Government and
non-governmental organisations are extremely promising. It
said too that the public health approach, which focuses on
modifying risk factors for violent conduct, is especially
promising for addressing violence against women and youth
violence.
"At the same time it is critical to note that certain types
of crime and violence - in particular, organised crime and
drug trafficking - are largely impervious to prevention
approaches; a criminal justice-focused approach is essential
in dealing with them," the report said.
It said that murder rates in the Caribbean are higher than
any other region in the world and assault rates are
significantly above the world average. It said too that
narcotics trafficking is at the core of these rates.
According to the World Bank press release accompanying the
report, narcotics trafficking diverts criminal justice
resources from other important activities, increases and
embeds violence, undermines social cohesion and contributes
to the availability of firearms in the region.
"The report clearly shows that crime and violence are
development issues. Donors and OECD countries need to work
together with Caribbean countries to reduce the current
levels in the region," said Caroline Anstey, World Bank
Director for the Caribbean. "Some of the factors that make
the Caribbean most vulnerable to crime and violence, mainly
the drug trade and trafficking in weapons, require a
response that transcends national and even regional
boundaries," she said.
The report draws on input from Governments, civil society
organisations and Caribbean experts, and presents detailed
analyses of crime and violence impacts at the national and
regional levels. The report also provides information on
good practice approaches from global experiences, and offers
concrete actions and recommendations on crime prevention and
crime reducing strategies.
"Although there is no one 'ideal' approach for crime and
violence prevention, interventions such as slum-upgrading
projects, youth development initiatives and criminal justice
system reform can contribute to reducing crime and
violence," said Frank Maertens, UNODC Director, Division for
Policy Analysis and Public Affairs.
The report summed up that crime and violence are not
immutable and while the Caribbean faces serious challenges,
especially in the areas of drugs, guns and youth violence,
informed policies at the national, regional and
international levels can make a significant difference.
Asked about possibilities for assistance to countries in
crime fighting and prevention, Anstey through a
video-conference at the launching of the report in
Washington said yesterday that this has to be done through
the Caribbean countries, the financial institutions and the
developed 'consumer' nations to decide who finances what.
She said too that there must be dialogue on what could be
done on the issue of guns and criminal deportees.
Speaking through video conferencing too, co-author of the
report Andrew Morrison, World Bank Lead Economist, said that
the Bank and the UNODC stand ready to assist countries
brainstorm strategies that work. He said that "get tough"
programmes tend to breed more criminals instead of reducing
them.
The report will be further deliberated upon at the Vision
20/20 Conference to be held in Washington in June 2007. |
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