Passing of law cannot ensure police reform

THE EDITOR: In Newsday of January 6, you published a news article under the headline “Transparency Institute demands Police Reform.” Thank you for allowing us to join our voice to the many others that are making the same call. You correctly report our concern with the issue of corruption in the police service. You are also correct in reporting that we hope for a less partisan approach to Police Reform in Parliament. And we do want the bills to be dealt with expeditiously. However, your article may have given some people the impression that TTTI is supporting the PNM in this matter.

In fact we cannot and do not favour any political party over any other in this or any other matter. However, we feel that, in the case of Police Reform, the Opposition should, for the greater good, take full part in the debate. I also want to make it clear that we do not accept the Honourable Prime Minister’s quoted position that the “expeditious and smooth” passage of the bills currently before Parliament will “ensure that the country in the shortest possible time, can enjoy acceptable levels of security.” Passing a law cannot of itself ensure reform. It can only set up a framework within which real reform can take place. And we are not at all sure that these bills, if passed without extensive amendment, can provide that framework. In fact, we are very concerned that the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, which provides for the establishment of a Police Management Authority, could have the opposite effect. This Bill replaces the Police Service Commission, which is appointed by the President after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, with a Police Management Authority normally appointed by the President on the advice of these persons.
This, as Mr Reginald Dumas has suggested recently would be “a constitutional entrenchment of political intervention in, and control of, the Police Service in the name of efficient and effective management.”

Further, so far as concerns the re-organisation of the Police Service through a new Police Service Act, in the legal opinion of our vice-chairman, Justice George Collymore, which we submitted to the Joint Select Committee, “provisions for the delegation of authority to the Police Service exist at section 127 of the Constitution ... whereby all necessary powers for the exercise of discipline and ancillary matters can be accommodated.” Therefore “the purposes of the Police Service Bill 2002 can be met without the need for any amendment of the Constitution.” We hope that Parliament will deal both expeditiously and thoroughly with these other relevant matters. We look forward to it producing a legal framework within which the Police Service will be able to take the lead in the fight against corruption and all other forms of crime.

G BOYD REID
Chairman
Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute