Editor’s note:This is a guest post from Danielle Edwards – a Literature and History student and an aspiring Journalist.

If you’re daring enough to fly over Dominica at night, you may be surprised at how easily you can count the number of lights on island. In a country where some claim that the cost of electricity is sometimes greater than the cost of rent, many persons feel that high energy prices are justifiably a cause for nationwide grief. Sadly, I’m reminded that my house was one of the few which celebrated last year’s Christmas festivities with tree lights. Apart from banks and a select few commercial enterprises, not too many businesses think it’s necessary to leave on their lights during the night. You certainly won’t find any skyscrapers here- Unlike L.A., New York, Sydney or Paris- we’re not seeking to outshine the stars.

Yes, some would say we’re backward, underdeveloped, the only island that Columbus would recognize if he were to return from the dead. To me, none of them have been quite able to hit the nail on the head. The reality is that the majority of us are not half as materialistic as the rest of the world. So when people wonder at our simplicity and how we survive without gourmet breakfasts, metropolitan subway transportation systems and the regular weekend rendezvous on luxury yachts, it might be worthwhile to suggest to them that their pompous lifestyles of glamour and over-spending are largely responsible for the world’s battle with soaring oil prices and rising food prices, and the pricey quest for alternative energy sources- a battle which the world seems to be losing.

I wonder just how much energy it takes to light up a 100-story skyscraper for one night. I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was equivalent to the amount of energy needed to power my neighbourhood for more than a week!

Photo via:rogerswebsite.com

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If you’re like me, you’re maybe fed up with humanity, whether it’s from learning about what’s going on around the world, or what’s going on in our own backyard. For some reason there are always situations that leave us feeling as if people are simply incapable of behaving in a way that is coming from a place of understanding.

It seems as if people are only equipped to handle things in the worst possible way, over and over again. As a result, we find ourselves always lingering down that judgmental line about our own people.

It is perfectly natural to feel let down and ashamed when we see our people behaving in ways that are greedy, selfish, violent and insensible, but there are also ways to channel these disappointments without sinking to the level of ignorance. Once we can achieve that—and we may need to do it every day, as part of our daily self-care—we can begin to consider ways that we might help the situation in which our island finds itself.

As always, we should start with ourselves, utilizing our awareness of the failings of others to renew our own commitment to be more conscious human beings. We are all capable of the best and the worst that mankind has to offer, and remembering this keeps us in check, as well as allowing us to find compassion for others.

Whatever the case, the only thing we can do is pledge to serve the best, rather than the worst, of what mankind has to offer – both in the world, our island, and in ourselves.

What do you think? Share your opinion.

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The current drive by the Dominica Police force to establish a strong “community policing” component is timely, necessary and promises to yield substantial benefits for the nation.

In the past, communities tended to leave crime fighting almost entirely up to the police, but times have changed. Crime has become more pervasive and sophisticated, requiring a more broad-based response from police and society. It is now imperative that law-abiding residents of each town, village and community become more vigilant and active in the fight against crime and interact more closely with the police.

There is ample evidence of an insidious rise in crime in Dominica. There is a marked increase in violent crime and the emergence of new types of crime; crimes like drug dealing, money laundering and internet scams were unknown in former times. Today’s children are exposed to more crime and violence than any generation in recent memory. It is essential that citizens and police join forces to fight crime on every front, from neighborhoods to homes.

Members of the police force must do everything in their power to encourage citizens to redouble their own efforts to reduce crime in their communities. They must liaise with citizens to establish a culture of judicious discernment of and reporting of crime in each neighborhood, as well as relentless advocacy of community programmes to alleviate social problems that create the breeding grounds for crime.

Citizens must be encouraged to move away from their reliance on the police and government to lead the way in fighting crime. Law-abiding citizens can take responsible actions themselves to prevent increasing crime in society. With appropriate guidance and support from police, they can organise themselves into groups and by their collective efforts make significant headway by establishing new limits on crime in their own communities.

Specifically, law-abiding persons in all neighborhoods can raise their communities’ awareness of potential sources of violence and crime. They can spread the word about these sources and campaign strenuously against them. The primary objective would be to get a community commitment to rooting out crime in all its forms. By banding together and with the support of the police they can detect and prevent crime
in its embryonic stages.

Maximum community policing awareness can be the launching pad for the creation of a crime-free environment for each family in each community. By community policing efforts, families can make their homes safer. They can identify crime sources that are specific to their communities and work collectively to eliminate them. The police can develop a more meaningful rapport with such communities, enabling them to get greater information and intelligence about crime and function more effectively.

Through community policing initiatives, households and communities can become more vigilant against crime by themselves, in a reasonable and balanced manner. By their involvement in community policing, citizens can establish guidelines and mechanisms for effective crime fighting. They can create neighborhood networks to detect and respond to crime. By collective vigilance they can more easily and effectively uncover and deal with crime.

Community policing provides citizens with an excellent opportunity to make a more direct contribution to the fight against crime and it also enhance the capacity of the police to do their work. The public should give community policing their wholehearted and unreserved support.

This article was published in the editorial section of the Chronicle Newspaper – Issue: August 1st, 2008.

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