More brain and less brawn to fight crime

INDEPENDENT Senator, and Head of UWI’s Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice, Professor Ramesh Deosaran, in extending wishes for a safer society in the new year, has proposed three issues for consideration to fight crime in 2004. He has identified the three issues as creating more public confidence in the police, since at the present time it was rather in an unhealthy state. Deosaran said the centre had found that a high proportion of crimes were not reported to the police, mainly because of skepticism over police response.

The second issue said Deosaran, was the need to decentralise the structure, operations and administration of the police. He said local government bodies should get together to mount a common policy and action platform to fight crime. And the third issue, is that the PNM and UNC should get together to mount a common policy and action platform. He however noted that there were “political barriers” and said full support for the police reform bills were just the tip of the challenging iceberg. Deosaran said he hoped the issues “help us go in the right direction and help us understand that we already have a million and one proposals before government, and that the quick-fix, expensive plastering will no longer do.” Rather we must “bite the bullet and demand first of all fuller accountability from those who matter.” Deosaran added that sadly while so many or our leaders were striving to keep our hopes alive for a safer country in the new year, “our hearts still remain deeply doubtful, even frightened.” He said the criminals were making progress and unfortunately they were more likely to have a happy and prosperous new year.