CRIME SEASON REOPENED?

It seems to now be a case very much like the hunting season. There is a closed season for crime and open season. The closed season lasts for two days (Carnival) while the open season lasts for the other 363 days (364 in leap year)... Will it be different in 2004?

Obviously, everyone is elated that the two days of Carnival revelry were free of major crimes. Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs and his officers (including his military counterparts) promised and delivered well. I, like tens of thousands of other Trinidadians, stand firmly opposed to Carnival, but I can tell you I was extremely pleased that the criminals could not have their way — except for the Condom Killer of course! The Police Commissioner must however note that as highly commendable as the crime-free Carnival credits may be, this pales into insignificance in the broader spectrum of crime prevention and control in TT. Carnival is two days. We have 365 days in the year. It seems as though we have to make a choice. It’s either we take two days of being crime-free and the rest of the year crime-filled, or two days crime-filled and the rest of the year crime-free! I have come to this conclusion based on last year’s record-breaking crime figures.

Remember this time last year, when the former National Security Minister came out beaming about a crime-free Carnival? His boast was well-founded. Carnival was indeed free of major crimes. But what followed? The rest of the year was crime-filled! In fact, 2003 brought us a record-breaking crime-free Carnival, but it also brought us a record-breaking crime filled year! We saw the highest crime rate in the history of Trinidad and Tobago. Which way do we choose? I can tell you, if we have a choice, give me the two days crime and the rest of the year crime-free! Seriously, it appears as though we can simply decide our crime status. This has been the second straight year that at Carnival, our protective services have flatly told the previously “uncontrollable” criminal elements, “We are saying no crime, and we’ll have no crime.” And exactly so it has been.

The crime fighters have had a 100 percent success rate against the criminal elements, on the two days when conditions are by far the toughest. This, quite evidently, reveals that our law enforcement agencies don’t only have the capacity to control and prevent crime, they are masters at the art. In this light, who can fault the citizens who remark that crime prevention in TT is not a matter of capability, but a matter of choice. We choose to control and prevent it at Carnival and choose not to for the rest of the year. It seems to now be a case very much like the hunting season. There is a closed season from crime and an open season. The closed season lasts for two days while the open season lasts for 363 days (364 in a leap year!).

Let’s get serious — and stay serious! Crime is very directly a life-and-death issue. It’s plain that our police/army services possess the ability to very effectively deal with this menace, so let’s get on with the job. Two days of commendable performance may yield some marks, but it’s consistency that will create the desired impact and yield meaningful results. And it’s consistency that will prove credibility. Commissioner Snaggs has said that the reason the “Carnival model” of police, crime-prevention work cannot be duplicated for the remainder of the year, is because on the Carnival days a larger number of officers than usual is called out to duty. But Mr Snaggs (who obviously is no fool in terms of the dynamics of quantity management) would know that effectiveness in operations such as his has much more to do with management, strategising and attitude than numbers. In fact, there is an increasing quantity of management models (and technological initiatives) which deal with achieving more with less. Smaller numbers, greater productivity. The days of big numbers and lots of activity with no productivity are rapidly disappearing.

Certainly numbers would have had something to do with it. But the tremendous success of Mr Snaggs and his men did not have to do with numbers as much as it had to do with pro-active planning, effective strategising, depth of application, resolve, steadfastness of focus, meticulous teamwork and efficient collaborative activity. The public information aspect was also great. There is absolutely nothing that can restrain our protective services from engaging these dynamics and qualities on a year-round basis. Diligence in delivery is the key. But even the numbers factor should pose no major problem. Both the police and army services continue to recruit considerable numbers and increase their strength in this regard. The criminal elements take their signals from the law enforcement agencies. They know very distinctly when these bodies are serious, and when they are not. They play the game accordingly.

Commissioner Snaggs must also be commended for the wise and admirable position which he adopted, each time he was congratulated for ensuring a crime-free Carnival. Snaggs always responded, “I also want to thank the public for their co operation in this.” Two things came out in the top cop’s statement. Firstly, he was not on any ego trip to take all the praise for himself. Secondly, and even more importantly, Snaggs wanted the public to know that there is a place where crime control/prevention does not only depend on the police, but the population at large. Great lesson! So let’s join hands and get this extremely critical job done.