Letters

Star struck criminals

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The recurring incidence of crime in our country is depressing to every law abiding citizen. It is as if the country is at war. If we are at war, this is not only an issue for the Government of the day alone, but all institutions and the individual citizen. Our security forces are our first line of defence. The media has a crucial role to play. The quality of publicity in the written media, the sound and vision of the radio and television have a vital role to play. Bold, black, large front page treatment of the press, huge gory and bloody presentation by the television, dramatic and blood chilling description of the radio, do not help the situation. The warped mind of the criminal might be excited to further misdeed. The negative impression of our overseas readers may be a further 'victory' to the criminals by these maximum presentations.

A further defect of an over-enthusiastic media was displayed by a radio broadcast of the murder of a St. Mary school principal, even before the family and the police were informed. Can one imagine the shock of his wife when she first heard of her husband's murder through a radio broadcast? Surely the news could be checked via the local police. The police in turn would inform the immediate family before a release to the media.

The buck stops at the Govern-ment of the day. Why not reintroduce the death penalty, an overwhelming wish of the Jamaican people? Are we in-timidated by the 'human rights brigade'? See how the mindless criminal cowards run for cover when we string up a few. We are not advocating a suppression of the media, but we have had the experience of other countries' approach to internal problems that are plaguing us. They do not give 'star studded' treatment to each gory event. It only serves to 'intoxicate' the twisted mind of these evil people. The prospect of the copyist to emulate is real.

I am, etc.,

A.S. BYFIELD

St. Mary