Uncle Sam’s helping hand

Aside from the fact that standard procedure requires the intervention of US officials in any case involving the murder or kidnapping of one of their citizens, the view of the man in the street is that local authorities are far behind their American counterparts when it comes to crime-solving and prevention. As such, many will welcome any form of intervention.

Such intervention is a sad reminder of the need for local authorities to get their act in order.

The timing of the report of possible collaboration has been ironic. The comments of former US Navy Petty Officer Malcolm Nance have done untold damage to this country’s reputation. The comments, made on Saturday, were to the effect that TT was among a group of countries which had more terrorists than seven predominantly Muslim countries, whose citizens have been banned by US President Donald Trump from entering the United States.

In a response issued about two days later, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley described the statements as “broad and simplistic,” saying they ignored “the robust and substantial national security cooperative partnership between TT and the United States.” Indeed, the longstanding cooperation between US officials and locals on a range of matters from terrorism, murder probes, extradition and even taxation issues speaks volumes about the relationship between both countries.

However, the deeper basis of this cooperation is the clear need on this part of our country for help from its bigger, more competent brother. In a way, that itself is cause of concern.

There needs to be more emphasis on building capacity and leadership.

To some extent, that project has been underway for some time. From the million-dollar Mastrofski Report to more recent ventures such as the visit paid by former New York police commissioner William “Bill” Joseph Bratton under the last administration.

Taxpayers, however, have long grown impatient of high-profile “plans” involving foreign experts, dismayed by the seeming march of crime over time, despite some substantial headway in certain areas.

And it is not only Uncle Sam that has been lending a helping hand.

The British High Commission has been involved in seeking a firm to carry out a much-needed manpower audit of the Police Service. The idea is that to build capacity, you first have to take stock of what you have, what your needs are and then what are the additional requirements in order to meet those needs.

The British have also been involved in moves to reform the criminal justice system, notably to introduce the video-taping of interviews. There have also been longstanding synergies between various entities, such as the now disbanded Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago.

This degree of foreign involvement poses many benefits given the obvious gap in capacity. However, the fallout is inefficiencies relating to a lack of understanding of local conditions and nuances.

This is where local officials play a key role.

However, our foreign partners have also noted the high levels of police corruption, a key impediment to successful navigation of the choppy crime waters.

We hope that the latest instance of collaboration will not be the last under the new US political landscape.

It is in the interest of foreign partners to continue to stoke the development thrust. In a global world, terrorism is just one reason why their security in many ways depends on ours.

Equally, it is also in our interest to work much harder at improving our lot