The Police Bill

The proposed legislation to make the Police Service more effective and its controversial Constitutional Amendment have generated a debate that has enraptured the entire nation. The importance placed on this Police Service Reform Bill catapulted into national importance only due to the unchecked increases in crime within the last two years. The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha as a result has scheduled two public meetings — one today and tomorrow — and will be hosting the United National Congress and People’s National Movement respectively to discuss their various positions on the Bill.

More importantly the Maha Sabha’s forum will provide the public a direct opportunity to ask the two parties questions on the subject. To some the Bill is merely an attempt by the Government to control the police service. It is thought that with the Bill there can be the abuse of political influence that can be realised with the proposed police management committee a la Burnham’s PNC. The Bill with the exception of the proposed Committee is not very different from the existing legislation. The Police Service Commission has already divested a lot of its authority to the Police Commissioner; therefore the perceived failure of the Police cannot be laid at the feet of the PSC. Is management of the Police the real problem or the resources given to the police?

One also has to ask with 7,000 police officers to 1.3 million, is that ratio alright? First of all 7,000 police personnel include the 1400 or so men of the SRPs. This is lavish for a population of 1.3 million. The police to population ratio in Trinidad is one of the best in the world. The problem was outlined in the O’Dowd report, which indicated that it was the shift system employed that creates an artificial shortage of police personnel. We have to face a stark fact — the Police Service is not understaffed or particularly badly equipped. Its problems come from a combination of incompetence among senior officers, poor quality recruits in terms of education, a clearly ad hoc promotions policy, little incentive for education improvements and widespread and endemic corruption that is all pervasive and devastating. Trust in the police is nil and this is most evident in the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit and the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.

Most industrialised countries have a ratio of 1:400. In Latin America the ratio ranges from 1:250 to 1:700. In Asia, countries like India and China have a ratio of 1:800. In Latin America and Asia, the police are supported by large, well-trained quasi-military units for tasks such as Border Policing and Counter-Insurgency work. The police to population ratio for the Bahamas is so favourable partly because the Bahamas lacks an Army and as such the police perform the dual roles of both land defense and law and order. In terms of size the TTPS is adequate and the police to population ratio ranks as one of the best in the world — a fact accentuated by the addition of the 1,000 personnel of the Special Reserve. In spite of these advantages, the performance of the TTPS falls far short of what should be expected for such an excellent ratio.

The TTPS is currently ineffective despite the best efforts of the Government. Police Reform should have short-term and long-term objectives: 1) Remove equipment shortcomings and personnel shortfalls, 2) Improve accountability to turn the TTPS into an effective crime-fighting force, 3) In the long-term, to remove corruption and incompetence the senior and junior ranks, 4) To create long-term plans for the continuous upgrading and reorganisation of the TTPS to cope with new threats as they emerge in the future, 5) To create an ethnic/racial balance in the TTPS so as to foster an image of national unity and to ensure that the TTPS holds the confidence of all sections of the population.

The key to doing anything is de-centralisation of police assets and powers. Each Police Division has to be made semi-autonomous. Each Police Division should also be responsible for recruitment. This would serve dual purposes of recruiting people who actually know their areas and of permitting the recruitment of more East Indians into the TTPS to create the desired ethnic/racial balance. This recruiting policy would apply only to the Regular Constabulary and the Special Weapons and Tactics units under the Division command. The current TTPS is organised on a divisional basis for administrative purposes. This set-up can be retained but simplified.

The aim of reform should be to make each division almost completely self-contained as far as basic law and order duties are concerned with the ability to deal with minor riots without having to request assistance from Port-of-Spain based units. The Regular Police will, of course, comprise the vast bulk of the service and would be organised in a manner very much similar to the present structure. To ensure adequate levels of musketry, annual or quarterly firing qualifications must be restored.