Putting plaster on the sore

THE EDITOR: This letter is not to point fingers at anyone but to state my concerns about the strategies that have been implemented thus far to fight crime. Crime is a sociological problem and unless the entire society is involved no strategy will have long-term effects. As I see it we are just putting a plaster on the sore, but are not addressing how to stop the sore from spreading. Crime will not vanish overnight with roadblocks and early morning exercises. Crime will not go away with putting more police officers on the street, rehiring retired police officers, or utilising the armed forces. Crime must be attacked from its core, and law enforcement should be looked upon as a business. Let’s look at job satisfaction vs job description.

This is my five-year plan if I were in charge:
(1) First I will send all my law enforcement officers on refresher courses, as was done in the past — from the Commissioner to the officers on probation. There are new concepts and methods that have been used by Third World countries that should be implemented with a special emphasis on Community Policing and Sensitivity training.
(2) Take a serious look at salaries and retirement benefits for all law enforcement departments. Salaries should be increased and should be bi-weekly. Law enforcement personnel who wait for salary at the end of the month seek additional income elsewhere and many are susceptible to favours that carry a financial kickback.
(3) Community dialogue: The major players such as the business leaders, police officers, mayors, council men, and youth leaders with the media involved should be bi-weekly and reduced to monthly as the outcomes prove to be successful. I remember the days when police officers were invited to every wedding in the district, and would be informed when a stranger was in the village.
(4) Police officers should remain in their districts as long as possible. I remember in the 1980’s when police officers from other divisions were utilised and the havoc it created. These outside officers broke down the walls of trust that were established. We need to rebuild those walls with consistency. Transfer should not be a tool of discipline. All the transfer really does is create another disgruntled officer. I speak from experience.
(5) Businessmen need to come together and reinvest some of their profits back into the communities that support them on a daily basis. Team up with schools, and the government and give out scholarships, finance workshops for the unemployed, thereby empowering citizens (especially the youth) who at present see a bleak future.
(6) Change the way in which reports are documented and investigated. The citizen who comes to make a report has a problem and needs to be heard. Police officers are not seen solely to fight crime but to assist in general. This concept must be embedded in all officers. In my time the woman who reported domestic violence with no visible signs of injury was documented as “Other Matters.” Most likely she would be told to report it to the Justice of the Peace in the morning and sent back home to the unsafe environment. With this type of injustice this woman has lost her confidence in the police and would exclude herself from the Community policing concept, and return to Us vs Them. This is just one real example and there are many others.
(7) Many professionals who have migrated abroad as myself have the passion to return home and assist. But the salaries do not compensate. Take a serious look at our foreign resources who have the training and experience to assist at this crucial juncture of our existence. We have the money, use it wisely. Why do we have to pay thousands of dollars to a foreigner to assist with kidnappings. This was a wasted investment as we can all see clearly now. As a matter of fact kidnappings have increased and continue to increase.
(8) Involve the faith-based organisations in these efforts to fight crime. Church youth ministries and other agencies who interact with the youth should be brought to the table to dialogue.
This list can go on and on like the Energiser Bunny, but those ideas that were identified are the key areas. On a daily basis I discuss these ideas with retired police officers and concerned citizens of TT who live in South Florida who believe that it makes sense coming from someone who has “been there-done that.” I hope that it will be published and the powers that be look at it for what it is — constructive criticism.

K DUNCAN
Miam.