A lesson in policing

Perusal of any policing policy around the world mentions the nine “Peelian Principles” of policing, which summarises the ideas of Sir Robert Peel, founder of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.

The internationally accepted Peelian Principles are:

Principle 1: The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.

Principle 2: The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.

Principle 3: Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.

Principle 4: The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.

Principle 5: Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to the public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.

Principle 6: Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient.

Principle 7: Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

Principle 8: Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.

Principle 9: The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it.

It’s remarkable to see that in 2013, the TTPS brought the current New York City Police Commissioner, William Bratton to lecture our society on the importance of higher police salaries, but failed to procure the policing expertise of a man who, when asked about the Peelian Principles, said; “I carry these with me everywhere — my bible.”

I was confused as to why members of the TTPS believed what they classed as “total policing” was actually policing, so I set out to investigate the content of the “policing policy” I presumed existed, but it doesn’t.

Instead, I discovered that during the full-time six-month training, new recruits are taught drill, firearms, defensive and survival tactics, behavioural science, police duties, evidence and procedure, criminal law, traffic laws, customer service, conflict resolution, anger management and wellness and health.

Of course, this is what the training should entail, but it’s unclear if everything is actually taught, and even if it is, we’re unsure of the quality. Take note of the fact that physical training is no longer mandatory; an imprudent decision with adverse effects.

As a past member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cadet Force (Queen’s Royal College — Charlie Company), I know that physical training was a key element in the teaching of discipline!

Our police officers must be trained in policing, which will require an external trainer, but the TTPS uses a closed-door training policy, which means that a person is not allowed to train recruits unless s/he is “ah poh-leece”.

It’s quite interesting to see that unqualified police officers are teaching behavioural science, evidence and procedure (ask any criminal lawyer about this nightmare with police officers), customer service and anger management.

In contrast, the part-time, much shorter training programme for Special Reserve Police (SRP) is more basic, as their training consists of firearm, drill, criminal law and police duties.

This is shocking, considering that SRP enlistment is a “backdoor” into the service, as many SRPs are eventually “absorbed” without further training. In reality, working as an SRP officer is analogous to the On-the-Job Training programme, except that these men and women have guns and lives in their hands.

Even the president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Inspector Anand Ramesar, labelled this training as “fly by night” in April 2014 following the tragic shooting death of Naim Dean at the hands SRP officers in the Rapid Response Unit.

The solution, according to law enforcement consultant and combat expert, Paul-Daniel Nahous, is a more independent police training programme, which will ensure impartiality and quality.

He also added that SRPs should only be used as specialised personnel, with training geared towards specific roles. But in the end, without national security policy, which former National Security Minister, Gary Griffith was in the process of formulating before his unfortunate termination, progress will remain a dream.

Let’s hope our advice doesn’t fall on deaf ears!

Jamille85@msn.com