Crime is rampant. 

The public is gripped by fear. Is it possible that combatting traffic congestion could be the way out of our dangerous crime predicament?

The “Broken Window Theory” posits that crime often prevails where public disorder is the norm. The idea is that if you leave a broken window and graffiti on the walls, there is a general disrespect for the environment and the rule of law.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, published in 2000, he explored how by targeting petty crimes and property vandalisation, New York authorities were able to reduce major crime in the 1990s. Likewise, if you make the bed each morning and iron your clothes, you are more likely to lead a disciplined and productive life. 

Downtown Montego Bay was plagued by extensive civil disorder until August 2022. Unauthorised vendor stalls blocked sidewalks and building entrances, obstructing pedestrians. Most vendors had no permits allowing pickpockets to disguise themselves as vendors. And worse, hardened criminals used vendor storage to stash their ammunition.

On the roadways, taxi operators picked up and dropped off passengers as they pleased, leading to intolerable traffic congestion on major roads.

The obstructed pathways created garbage disposal issues which deteriorated the look and feel of the area. Downtown Montego Bay was a place to avoid. There was even a shootout in Sam Sharpe Square over a traffic scuffle. Systemised corruption was an ongoing problem.

Inspired by The Tipping Point‘s lessons and the Broken Window Theory, Vernon Ellis, Superintendent of the St James Police Division, decided to hit the reset button on general lawlessness in downtown Montego Bay supported by John Byles, former vice-president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and a director at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

The project dubbed “Public Order Reset” was to tackle civil disorder to reduce serious crime.

It began in part with John Byles distributing copies of The Tipping Point across the police force and St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC) to orient the major players to the principal philosophy of the project. 

The police were shown images of the most beautiful landscapes in Jamaica to stir up a sense of patriotism and commitment to the mission, almost as if to demonstrate what is possible.

The police held community meetings with the vendors and taxi drivers. There was a massive public education campaign sensitising the police force around the vision of Public Order Reset, which entails inclusive participation of all parties in the social transformation.

Superintendent Ellis trained the police to relate to vendors and taxi drivers in a non-antagonistic way, to play an overall supportive role, and to use their discretion. Vendors understand they won’t get in trouble if they comply with the law and have their documents in order.

Highbo, a fruit vendor, said, “I really like what the police are doing because I feel safer when the police take on the street and get rid of who they are supposed to get rid of. I am not a troublemaker. I am a seller trying to maintain my yutes.”

The Public Order Reset revolutionised downtown Montego Bay. Ninety-eight vendors have been registered and fast-tracked through the system to gain food handlers’ permits. They have been assigned designated lanes and, for the most part, are staying within them. Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) provided colour-coded bibs with unique identification numbers to each vendor representing their designated trading lanes. Moreover, the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) set up sanitation areas in each lane. 

The area is more organised, cleaner, easier to navigate, and safer. Police on motorbikes circle through regularly. Several unregistered vehicles were taken off the road. Traffic flows more freely. Superintendent Eron Samuels, reports that there have been fewer crimes and murders overall in this part of the city. Tourists are visiting the long-standing Montego Bay Cultural Center and strolling through Sam Sharpe Square once more, which previously was overrun entirely by vendors. The designated areas are examples of “Inclusive Economic Zones,” which have created increased economic participation from the informal economy. Some vendors report an increase in sales. There is a shared goal among the key players, Ellis and Byles, to establish a society “where no man is above or below the law, and everyone should feel safe to do business and live”. Moreover, they can enjoy a bigger share of the tourism dollar.

An additional major outcome of this initiative is improved relations between police, vendors, taxi operators, and the municipality.

Organising taxi operators remains an ongoing challenge. The Montego Bay Transport Centre is supposed to be the main drop-off and pick-up point for passengers, but taxi drivers report that passengers insist on being dropped off where it is most convenient.

The initiative’s early success offers examples of best practices for public order restoration and social transformation. They first focused their efforts on a small area- downtown Montego Bay- rather than trying to tackle the whole parish. The municipal corporation and police track outcomes and metrics for success, such as the number of vendors registered, the number of incidents, etc.

There is ongoing monitoring of the environment. When things get out of hand, police tighten up the operation and relax the restrictions periodically to allow for greater income flow.

Seven months in, the effort is sustained with less police presence because the vendors have become self-regulating. Vendors report incidents of misconduct to the police, and the system is sustainable because the vendors are engaged in the solution. The next step is to install managers at each designated lane to ensure the upkeep of the infrastructure. More government support and funding are required.

This project reflects the efficacy of the “whole society approach” encouraged by Keith Duncan, past president of the PSPOJ. It is a multi-agency effort with all sectors engaged, including TPDCo, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Transport Authority, NSWMA, Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the National Water Commission (NWC), among others.

Key players from these organisations are in a WhatsApp group, where they communicate regularly about progress and issues. Everyone is engaged in creating the solutions. The inclusivity and accountability empower the team as there is shared ownership in the overall mission. 

There are many active projects designed for national social transformation. There must be forums to share best practices across projects rather than starting from scratch each time. The Public Order Reset programme needs to be a part of that conversation. I was amazed at what I saw.

This article is part of a research project sponsored by the PSOJ to create a national framework for Public Order Reset.

Joelle Simone Powe is an anthropologist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. For inquiries, email [email protected]