"As a young reporter and a Jamaican, one is hoping that the relevant authorities, which also includes every Jamaican citizen, will take a stand against crime or else the beauty of the island will eventually disintegrate into a canvas of sorrow and bloodshed."

It was my first flight. After being ridiculed all my life by my more affluent friends throughout high school that the only times I 'travelled' was when I jumped in the air or when I went to the beach and went in the water, it was my first flight.

So, when I was assigned to cover the opening of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) coastguard station in Port Morant in St. Thomas, I was feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

So, on Friday at 9:00 a.m., when I, along with other members of the media and the JDF entered the Bell 412 EP helicopter at the JDF air wing at JDF Up Park Camp base in St. Andrew, I was pretending to be an old-timer, with my disk jockey headphones attached.

However, my eyes were roving all over the inside of the green and yellow hunk of a metallic bird.

With buttons and small devices all over, I was fascinated as the pilots touched here and touched there. At least the movies weren't lying, I thought. A couple minutes later, we started to hover in the air and my smile got wider, as I shouted 'Finally!' in my head, 'No more laughter from my friends.'

Beautiful is an understatement

In the air, with my life in the hands of the JDF pilots, I began to take in the sights around me. Beautiful is an understatement when one takes in the sight of Jamaica, as the helicopter manoeuvred the eastern belt of the island. The greenery of the hills, the blues of the sea, and the cream of the mined hills all satisfied the palette of my eyes. With buildings, cars and plants all looking like miniature toys, I reflected on my childhood years.

On approaching what I was to later learn was the new JDF station, I saw a ship, which I thought was the yacht of a wealthy Jamaican, which I later found out was the HMJS Cornwall.

In the air, several fish traps looked like notes on a music sheet, and I suppose it was because the blue seas of the Port Morant station, from above, were playing an alluring tune for my eyes.

The station, which is the sixth outpost of the JDF, was a sight to behold, neatly tucked away in front of the Bodles Harbour.

On the ground, Minister of National Security Derrick Smith called on the JDF to redouble its efforts in the interdiction of illegal guns into Jamaica. Using the current crime wave gripping the island as a backdrop, he said that 78-80 per cent of the murders committed were facilitated by the gun.

Exorcism of corruption

The minister believed that the station could help in the seizure of guns, which, evidently are getting into the island and into the hands of marginalised youths who cannot afford certain basic amenities, but who have access to these weapons which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While the station is a welcome addition to the 'fleet' which the JDF coastguard already has, it is evident more needs to be done.

A multilayered approach, which includes the exorcism of hypocrisy and corruption at all levels of society, social-intervention programmes and effective imminent policing measures, is a start to curbing killings which have claimed over 1,400 Jamaicans.

As a young reporter and a Jamaican, one is hoping that the relevant authorities, which also includes every Jamaican citizen, will take a stand against crime or else the beauty of the island will eventually disintegrate into a canvas of sorrow and bloodshed.

Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter
Jamaica Gleaner News