|
It’s
up to the police
By
Gillian Lucky, MP
gilly@tstt.net.tt
The
recent statement by President George Maxwell Richards that
the recruitment process of the Police Service needs to be
reviewed, must give citizens a measure of comfort that the
Head of State is aware of the problems with those mandated
to protect and serve.
There have been several complaints about the inadequacy of
the resources given to the police to perform their important
role but all the concerns have fallen on deaf ears.
Despite extensive and expensive propaganda campaigns to fool
the public into a sense of security, the impotency of officers
when confronted with the technology and intelligence of the
criminal masterminds is undeniable.
There have been recent alarming allegations of intense corruption
within the force but neither the Commissioner of Police nor
the Minister of National Security has indicated the measures
that will be implemented to unearth and remove these unsavoury
characters from within the service.
The Police Complaints Authority has not managed to operate
at an optimum and therefore its intended role as a watchdog
and protector of the people has been inevitably compromised.
The President ought to be commended for making the bold, accurate
and timely statement that:
“The
Police Service is not a charitable organisation and should
hardly be regarded as such.”
For too long there have been accusations that the recruitment
of police officers is based on nepotism and favouritism and
that there is a total disregard for the principles of fairplay
and meritocracy.
The boast by this Government that 1000 SRPs were hired and
placed on the streets when such recruitment was the subject
of controversy because of the lack of transparency in the
process is the best example that comes to mind in light of
the President’s statement.
This Government must stop treating the Police Service as a
dispensable toy which it can manipulate at its whim and fancy
or whenever it is politically expedient.
Commissioner’s response
Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs has agreed with the
statement by the President and has recognised one of the major
problems adversely affecting the efficacy of the Police Service
in the fight against crime. Mr Snaggs has said:
“We
are in a changing environment, we are facing challenges and
we need to have the police officers more tooled to deal with
the challenges”.
Surely the depletion in the resources of the Police Service
has not occurred overnight and Mr Snaggs, long before his
appointment as Commissioner, would have been aware of the
paucity of equipment possessed by the police.
Why, then, has the Commissioner of Police not been more vocal
or vigilant in forcing the administration to equip his officers
with the technology necessary to detect criminals?
The view that harsher penalties will help in the prevention
of crime is of little relevance in a society in which those
who commit criminal acts are able to escape undetected.
The Commissioner ought to mandate this Government to immediately
provide the members of his service with the basic tools that
they need, especially and including basic tracking devices,
bullet-proof vests.
There is too much talk and not enough action and the Commissioner
must not find himself accepting empty promises from this Government.
The Commissioner also stated that a better look must be given
to the officers within his organisation and that greater care
should be taken in choosing people who join the Service.
This admission by the Commissioner is of great concern because
it means that the service is at present staffed with some
unsuitable officers. The Commissioner must go one step further
and indicate the transparent system that will be used in separating
the sheep from the goat when it comes to the competence of
his men.
Ministerial culpability
Knowlson Gift has accepted full ministerial responsibility
for all matters that fall under his purview as Minister of
Foreign Affairs. However, with respect to the drugs that were
discovered in the diplomatic pouch, the acceptance of responsibility
is not enough.
Mr Gift must accept ministerial culpability for the alarming
occurrence which has had detrimental repercussions on our
nation’s international image.
Undoubtedly, Mr Gift must be breathing a sigh of relief because
once again the focus on his lack of performance in office
has shifted to the allegations of corruption under a previous
regime.
Amazingly there is a gullible public that allows its fanaticism
with this Government to blind its objective analysis of the
impropriety of the present Ministers.
Although two people are before the court charged with matters
related to the drugs that were found in the diplomatic pouch
the question remains:
Has there been a fair and thorough investigation of this matter,
bearing in mind that diplomatic pouches are usually handled
by high-ranking officers within the Ministry and no such people
have been charged?
If the claim by the police is true, that witnesses who could
be of assistance in the investigation in the release of the
two Bajan fishermen are reluctant to give statements and such
witnesses would undoubtedly include police officers, then
how effective is the Police Service in investigating matters
that touch and concern this and other Ministries?
Death of Ashmead Baksh
Reports indicate that the five suspects who were held for
the murder of Ashmead Baksh were released on Tuesday night
because investigators said that they did not have sufficient
evidence to charge the men.
This gruesome murder which involved the shooting of this young
man after acts of torture were committed against him still
has the nation shocked and petrified. There seems little hope
now that the perpetrators of this heinous act would be brought
to justice.
When will this Government accept that the lack of resources
is primarily responsible for the unacceptably low rate of
criminal detection in our country? Certainly the use of a
helicopter to comb the area in which the young Baksh was kidnapped
might have led to the early discovery of the criminals before
they were able to commit murder.
What use is the heliport facility at the Police Administration
Building in San Fernando if the space provided for the aircraft
remains empty?
Where are the tracker dogs whose expertise lies in their ability
to find victims who have been abducted and criminals who are
on the run?
Why is there no comprehensive witness protection programme
in effect, bearing in mind that one of the best means of capturing
gang members is the ability to have one of its weakest members
“whistle” on the activities of the group?
War on crime
It takes the fight against a great evil to bring a nation
together. The lines have been drawn and the law-abiding citizens
are not prepared to stand idly by, watching the demise of
our country at the hands of criminals who have no fear of
the law.
All the members of the protective services must recognise
the onus that is placed on them to protect and serve without
fear or favour.
Gone are the days when cheap gun talk and empty bogus promises
will suffice.
This Government knows that crime has reached into the homes
of citizens. The Minister of National Security is ill-equipped
to do the job but should he step aside? There is no one on
the horizon to fill his place.
The Police Service must therefore examine itself and address
its deficiencies so that citizens can once again repose their
trust in the institution.
|
