AGAINST the backdrop of spiralling crime rates in the Caribbean generally, and the high murder toll in Jamaica in particular, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has turned its attention to crime, specifically to finding solutions.

Explaining that it had to be “mindful of its role in the development of the region and its need to be current in the conversation on the issues affecting its member territories”, UWI recently staged another Vice Chancellor’s Forum titled ‘Taming the Caribbean Crime Monster: A Solutions Agenda’.

“Crime is now affecting all aspects of life of the countries in the Caribbean region, and the violence associated with crime has continued to escalate. Every problem has a solution, and crime is no exception,” said UWI’s Pro Vice Chancellor with responsibility for global affairs, Ambassador Dr Richard Bernal.

Bernal presided over the two-panel forum which drew on the scholarship, opinions, and expertise of academics and practitioners alike. Featured presenters included former Commissioner of Police Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin; Dr Yonique Campbell, UWI lecturer of public policy and management in the Department of Government; and Dr Joy Moncrieffe of the Institute for Applied Social Research.

Others were Dr Claudette Crawford-Brown, UWI lecturer in clinical social work in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work; National Security Advisor Major General Antony Anderson; Dr Herbert Gayle, UWI lecturer in anthropology, qualitative research; President of the Jamaican Bar Association Jacqueline Cummings, and Yvonne McCalla Sobers, human rights activist.

Bernal argued that UWI had made a vital contribution to policy solutions on all of the major problems and issues which the Caribbean has had to confront. The Vice Chancellor’s Forum on ‘Taming the Caribbean Crime Monster’, he said, was a continuation of the “UWI’s proven capacity and commitment to making available to the region its collective, multidisciplinary experience and expertise spanning all aspects of the crime problem”.

Dr Dacia Leslie of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies was moderator of the forum which took place at the Regional Headquarters Building at Mona.

IMAGE; UWI Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs Ambassador Dr Richard Bernal (second left) with presenters at the recently held Vice Chancellor’s Forum, from left, National Security Advisor Major General Antony Anderson; former Commissioner of Police Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin; and UWI anthropologist Dr Herbert Gayle.

For more on this story go to: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/uwi-finding-solutions-to-crime_103746?profile=1373