Former Member of Parliament for Roseau South, Joshua Francis, is making an urgent call for a joint effort to scientifically tackle crime in Dominica, saying he is troubled by the disregard for life on the island.
Francis took to Facebook on Saturday morning to give his views on the crime and violence and how it could be addressed.
This following the reported stabbing death of a man in Kings Hill in the wee hours of Saturday morning and the alleged shooting of a man in Mero on Friday evening.
“I further reiterate my urgent call for an immediate joint effort to scientifically tackle violence in Dominica,” Francis wrote on his official Facebook page. “We need to employ deliberate steps to treat the roots of our society with the intention to curb the intolerance and violent tendencies.”
He said the disregard for life and the diminishing respect for law in Dominica is troubling.
“I continue to be troubled by the wanton disregard for the gift and sanctity of human life, as well as, for the diminishing respect for law and order which is violating our dignity and undermining the moral fabric of our society,” Francis, who is an attorney by profession wrote. “I lament the callous and cold-hearted way in which too many of us treat each other.”
He said that if the matter is not addressed crime and violence will increase.
“Should we fail to adequately address this matter, we are at risk of experiencing increased crimes and violence,” he stated. “Let us improve our efforts to reduce if not stop crimes and violence.”
In the King Hill incident, according to Police Inspector Fixton Henderson, on January 14, 2023, sometime after midnight, Ned James Ettinoffe was found lying on his back on a flight of concrete steps at Morne Bruce with an open wound to the front of his right elbow.
“He was unresponsive and appeared to be dead,” Henderson stated. “He was subsequently examined and pronounced dead that same morning at the scene by a medical doctor. His body is being kept at a funeral home pending an autopsy.”
He revealed at the time that one man was in police custody assisting the police with their investigation in this matter.
Regarding the incident at Mero, Henderson reported that on the evening of January 13, about 7:40 p.m, two masked male individuals each armed with a firearm entered and robbed a mini mart in Mero known as Titanium Groceries of over $3,000.00 in cash.
“During the robbery the owner of the mini-mart, Stanford Valerie, male adult of St. Joseph was shot to the back of his head. He was transported to the Dominica China Friendship Hospital, where he is receiving medical attention,” the police inspector disclosed.
Late last year two women were brutally killed in domestic violence cases.
The two murders shocked the nation and many people took to social media to say that something must be done to curb crime and violence in Dominica.
“Hurt people hurt people”. “Monkey see, monkey do”. “Crime desensitization by foreign and domestic media and music”. These are just a few clichés used to rationalise criminal activity in Dominica.
8-Step Problem Solving Process
Step 1: Define the Problem. What is the problem?
Step 2: Clarify the Problem.
Step 3: Define the Goals.
Step 4: Identify Root Cause of the Problem.
Step 5: Develop Action Plan.
Step 6: Execute Action Plan.
Step 7: Evaluate the Results.
Step 8: Continuously Improve.
We are stuck at Step 4. Blurted clichés are nonproductive. Alternatively, brainstorming can lead to a database with demographic information such as mental state, repeat offenders, prior abuse victim, etc. which could help us identify the root cause(s) and allow us to continue to develop an action plan (Step 6).
If we continue to skip Step 4, it could get worse before it gets better. I pray this is in tune with the “urgent scientific effort” of which Mr. Francis speaks.
I wish to join Mr. Francis in his call for a speedy, serious, and detailed effort to address the crime situation in our beloved Dominica.
We have concrete evidence, right in our backyard, of the uncontrollably crime situation that results from not swiftly addressing and eradicating crime from an early stage. Just look at Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and St. Lucia to name a few. Their crime situation was similar to that of what we are experiencing today and see what level it has escalated to because very little if anything was don’t to control crime in it’s earlier stages.
The fight against this crime situation in Dominica needs a united approach and needs to be on the list of our island’s top 5 priorities.
Sometimes I wish I had the space to write a more detail comment; but to be honest; Joshua you are joke, the whole judicial system in Dominica is joke, I will not name anyone; but there are people in Dominica, and some of them pretend they function in the law profession; they have admitted to “crime” they committed, nevertheless, the corrupted system left them unpunished!
Anybody in Dominica, so called rich or is likely to commit a crime, and based on who they know in position; be it political or on the police force even if he matter goes int court, it likely they will only receive a slap on their risks, and sometimes not even a slap.
Here is a for-instance: A woman returned from Canada, killed her children, when she should be in jail one of her relatives, in court power, said she crazy, and he sending her back to Canada for treatment. Nevertheless, the day she arrived in Canada she was seen in a party the night!
Not crazy in Canada, but her relative in Dominica plea insanity!
“Joshua Francis, call for a joint effort to scientifically tackle crime in Dominica, saying he is troubled by the disregard for life on the island.”
What is the best way to deal with a violent crime?
*I suggest once the law is broken, a crime is committed, and the culprits are caught, full punishment of a written law must be executed; no halfway measure!
What can be done to reduce the incidence of organized crime?
Harsh laws must be tabled to deal with organized crime, including political thievery by politicians.
What should be your first priority in fighting crime?
* I again suggest The first factor is the most amenable to officer control. the officer must ensure that he or she does not introduce change into the crime scene. Their motor vehicle should be parked away from the crime scene, both to prevent impacting evidence left by the suspect and to prevent any suspect still on the scene from observing the officer.
How many trained criminologist are on the police in the…
Con:
To successfully fight crime in a country, there need to be the very educated minds trained in criminology; you don’t expect someone who simply have an elementary, or perhaps secondary education, join the force came up through the ranks kissing and licking boots, and kissing behind of politicians, and make them a public prosecutor.
A prosecutor’s job belongs to someone trained in law. Here is how it works in America:
The general public places enormous trust in prosecutors to bring criminals to justice and give closure to victims. As stewards of the criminal justice system, these sworn civil servants are bound by an ethical code and must conduct themselves with a level of integrity that reflects the power and prestige of their position.
To become a prosecutor, one have to turn their passion for the law into a masterful understanding of it. That means going to college, earning a law degree, passing the bar exam, and immersing themselves in the complex mechanisms of the law!
:”He said the disregard for life and the diminishing respect for law in Dominica is troubling.”
The Philosopher Plato is credited with advancing the saying that the ship of state always starts leaking from the top. Here, the leader’s public sentiment to the effect that no law or constitution can keep him back is widely shared. With that kind of sentiment, crime and violence become inevitable because corruption (crime) starts at the top and trickles down to the people. Garbage in, garbage out. Thus, no amount of scientific effort will be effective with that kind of mindset. If you look, even morals have taken a nosedive. Cleaning up the country would be much faster if it started at the top.
I don’t see any corruption (crime) at the top of the US government yet city after city is laiden with all sorts of violent crime, murder, rape, robberies to name a few. The truth is, there is no connection between criminal activity and people at the top.
It is high time that we stop the political games we play with crime and acknowledge that there are criminal elements living among us. They are not affiliated to any one party or group therefore to lay blame on any one of those groups is unfair and shows you’re not really serious about getting to the root cause of the problem.
Only a real comprehensive look at crime in general will produce the result we’re all seeking.
The only solution to crimes in Dominica and elsewhere skyrocketing is to bring back the death penalty and enforce it. The death penalty is on hold, so people are doing what their mind tells them to do with impunity. Stop blaming the Government and ask to bring back the gallows and when these bums are about to be hanged stop praying and protesting for these bums and holding vigils..
Without a doubt the crimes in DA are inextricably linked first of all to economic and financial hardships that the ppl live daily. There is a cloud of intolerance so thick that without party and rum, there is hardly anything more to be cheery about. Dominicans steal and rob with zero regard for how they make another person feel or what they would be depriving the other person of. There is little care for the welfare of each other, because the need for being in “survival” mode is terribly great.
Then comes the music, if we dare call it that. The violence, intolerance and disrespect spewed over the airwaves in some of the bouyon lyrics would make all our grandmothers weep for a nation of lost souls. Take note that more violent the music becomes worse the society will get. There need to be measures in place to keep our lyrics clean and uplifting. Garbage in garbage out is so dangerous in music especially, ’cause of the reach and influence. The Nation needs employment of body and…
I guess all these homicides going on in America, the richest country in the world, can also be linked to economic and financial hardships. Right, jacka.s?
Erich Fromm in his book “Escape from Freedom” states the following as a valid reason for destructiveness and related violence.
“It would seem that the amount of destructiveness to be found in individuals is proportional to the amount to which the expansiveness of life is curtailed. By this I do not refer to individual frustrations of this or that instinctive desire but to the thwarting of the whole of life, the blockage of spontaneity of the growth and expression of man’s sensuous, emotional and intellectual capacities. Life has an inner dynamism of its own; it tends to grow, to be expressed, to be lived. It seems that if this tendency is thwarted, the energy directed towards life undergoes a process of decomposition and changes into energies directed towards destruction. The more the drive for life is thwarted, the stronger is the drive towards destruction; the more life is realized, the less is the strength of destructiveness. Destructiveness is the outcome of unlived life.”
Prince harry said: if you stay silent the abuser will continue to abuse, the conscious abuse of power served up everyday by the Dominica police force is truly astounding, I give thanks that civilization is just a boat or plane ride away.
I applaud your efforts Mr. Francis as the steps taken by you are always necessary and welcomed. However, sir, I must inform you that you are wasting your time. Things will get worst in Dominica as the unfairness and disparity continue to grow in our country. When we all pay taxes but I can’t get a scholarship to do my first degree but one person can go on to their PhD, anger will increase. When I pay taxes but there is no opportunity for me to build my home but every week people who went to school with me and never took it seriously get houses; anger will rise. When I paid my own way and get an advanced degree, come back to Dominica work in a job for years and when an opportunity arises a high school graduate who supports the government comes in to be my boss, anger will rise. With all this anger, violence will increase.
“Scientific efforts” to help fight against crime, corruption, theft, dishonesty and the list of immortality in this gov. of dominica is endless. Why not clean up the entire system from the judicial
to the law enforcement system. This will never happen under this administration.
Men like this have nothing but time. Any grants or help are offered to friends of the people in charge of disbursing it. There is hardly any advertising and so people don’t get what they need to even try and become something different. Dominica’s “leadership” tries to model its society after first world, metropolitan places while ignoring the violence and chaos it took to achieve that magnanimity. All of Roseau looks like Armageddon hit it. We are one of the poorest nations. Instead of using the millions gifted from other nations to feed the economy by hiring workers to build under an engineer they do stupid sh** for appearances. These men aren’t being reached while they are young. They want things without being shown other methods of getting them. There are no outlets that facilitate community outreach or mental health. all of these men could help rebuild Dominica. How can they when they can’t afford to eat or have utilities? These aren’t terrorists, these are survivalists.
Urgent scientific method? 😂😩. You mean… exploring the benefits psychiatric help can offer? There is a glaringly obvious answer. There needs to be adequate funding for: A REHABILITATION CENTER, a team of therapists and telehealth therapy. You want behaviors that are embedded in the culture to change? You start educating and treating people. It’s widely accepted here that certain forms of communication and discipline that would be deemed abusive and traumatic in other parts of the world are “the norm”. Men beat women because of their own insecurities and lack of prospects. Women submit to these men because they lack prospects for survival. People steal from each other because they lack the talent and funding to build what they want. The scientific method is simply a major improvement in education and a basic understanding of the DSM. Increase intelligence and these things dissipate. Stop insulting your kids and beating them first. Learn to communicate in a healthy way.