We need smaller police divisions

THE EDITOR: While we wallow in ineptness and incompetence in this new millennium, the British has left us behind as in a time warp, and they have gone on to alter and refurbish their institutions at home to serve the needs of the British citizenry. Will we ever learn? Read the newspapers on a daily basis and it is easy to assess the high level of thinking and pragmatism of our people who write letters to the various editors suggesting ways and means to change a multitude of things that affect all of us here. These are sane and sober contributions by letters that MPs in both houses of Parliament can hardly emulate. Does anyone listen to our woes and litanies? Police Reform Bills will not solve our kidnappings, homicide rates and criminality. We have to re-invent an archaic police service system that has become vast and wide with too many officers spread out all over the country in ramshackle “pens” called police stations.

There is need to set up smaller police jurisdictions or county police divisions with a County Chief of Police as the head. He/she, must be voted in through the county council elections. He/she will report locally to an extended County Police Commission made up of county councillors equally from each political party (in certain counties), nominated citizens (community leaders?) and representatives of the local branch of Commerce comprising businessmen. Salaries will come from a freshly developed local county tax-base. These taxes will come from county residents, businesses, properties and other taxes all from within the county delimitations. Shortfall in revenues for proper policing will be made up by the central government from the annual national budget but only on the recommendations and vote of the County Police Commission. This of course will be based on proper crime prevention methods used, exemplary police work results, community policing and all that goes into making the community safe and law-abiding.

A police administrative office to deal with fines, tickets etc. including a dispatcher will be housed at each police station and will vary in staff size with regard to the jurisdiction. These salaried personnel will be hired from the community and cannot be police officers. The administrative officer and staff will take charge of salaries to officers, uniform maintenance, and all materials needed, including proper working and servicing of police vehicles. He/she will also develop the yearly budget. He/she will report directly to the County Chief of Police  and also to the County Police Commission during their monthly meetings. The Local Police Commission will be housed in separate offices within the building of the Regional County Corporation or in new offices which need to be built as an annex. The County Chief of Police inter alia will report to the National Police Service Commission which will develop amended regulations based on these new deregulated and locally managed county police divisions.

All counties will have different coloured police vehicles and police uniforms. These decisions will be made by the Local Police Commission. The ranking of county police officers will be done by the National Police Service Commission and recommendations sent to the Local Police Commission for upward rank mobility. This type of deregulated police force based on county control will give citizens a chance to help run and manage their policing affairs and will also allow them to hire and fire errant or non-performing officers. County councillors who sit on the County Police Commission  will also feel the heat at election time if they do not heed the needs of their voters. Pilot projects can be developed in St Andrew/St David and in Point Fortin for starters. This new method can also be tried in the boroughs of Arima and Chaguanas and gradually spread throughout the country within 2-3 years. And, we should forget the politics of the Police Reform Bills for now.

DR  CHRIS MAHADEO
University of Notre Dame