Sound Of “Di” Police: Community Policing and Crime Abatement in Post-Colonial Jamaica

Abstract In 2007, the third largest island in the Caribbean, Jamaica, implemented a policing strategy known as community policing. With a population of just over 2.9 million, Jamaica is listed as number 10 out of 20 of the most dangerous places in the world. Additionally, the IMF has listed crime as the number one impediment to the country’s economic growth. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between community policing in Jamaica, and the number of crimes committed in its local communities. Particularly, this study analyzed the relationship between Community Policing activities and the number of homicides, battery, rape, robbery, and vandalism activities that occurred in Jamaican local communities over a one-month period. A general linear model (GLM) regression analysis, also known as factorial ANCOVA, was fitted to survey data from 365 Jamaican residents across the country. There is evidence that an inverse relationship exists between the community policing strategy (CP) implemented by the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) in 2007 and the number of crimes committed in local communities. The most effective components in the 2007 CP strategy were: (a) community policing by frequency of patrolling, and (b) the community policing by spot checking/stopping people. Particularly, the study concluded that a 1% increase in police patrolling will likely decrease the number of crimes committed by about 37.6% over a one-month period, while police stopping/spot checking will likely decrease the number of crimes by about 39%, and vice versa. In other words, the overall results suggest that when community policing strategies are implemented, the number of crimes committed will likely decrease