Deeper changes loom

However, the application of these funds should in no way be mistaken as micro-management by the State of the police.

The money now having been allocated, there ends the role of the Executive. It is now for the intelligence agencies to apply the bolstered resources given to them in an effective manner and also in a manner consistent with the law, inclusive of qualified rights.

Another key matter raised by Rowley, though, suggests far more sweeping changes looming.

“It is the intention of the Government to invite the Opposition to cooperate with us to abolish the current failed process and replace it with some new arrangement such as an accountable Police Service Commission (PSC) cloaked with the responsibility and authority to supervise an effective modern Police Service,” the Prime Minister said.

Such a move would be a substantial change of approach for the Government, having already embarked on a process of reform last year. That process, done largely unilaterally, ended in court and was upheld with some modifications which centralised matters at the PSC, as opposed to dividing functions between the Central Tenders Board and Nipdec.

Rowley’s statement is an indication that the changes, however, may not have gone far enough and a deeper overhaul is coming. Such a move is welcomed in theory, but only if it is as a result of a full-fledged collaborative approach between all stakeholders.

This cannot be a compromised job. And the error of not consulting the very body being reformed cannot be repeated. All efforts must be made to preserve the sanctity of any new process adopted as well as the constitutional entity under review.

We therefore call on the Government to set a definitive timeline in relation to its reform efforts as those efforts must be programmed urgently and openly.

There also needs to be synergy between the role of the PSC and that of the Police Complaints Authority.

While an accountable PSC is a good idea in principle, care must be taken to balance that accountability with the need for independent oversight.

That said, until the Government tables the details of these reforms the population will be faced with a situation of cat in bag at the upcoming local government elections. Perhaps the Budget debate will provide the Government with the chance to spell out its PSC plans.

It was somewhat disheartening that there was not much else new in Rowley’s address to the nation — his second — in terms of new policy initiatives. However, this reflects the reality that what is required now is not flash-in-the-pan gimmickry but sustained strategies to bolster the protective services.

In some respects, the address is not likely to change the court of public opinion. What will do that is effective implementation by law enforcement agencies and, thereafter, results. The Prime Minister has basically hinted at an over-arching strategy without spelling it out, while at the same time asking the population to be patient. Wait and see.

The problem with this tack, however, is that in the absence of transparency it is hard for the public to appreciate the substantial barriers that appear to stand in the way of reform.

It is also hard to quell fear and anxiety in the streets when Joe Public continues to be endangered by murderous criminals like those brazen enough to shoot a PH driver in Belmont outside of the St Jude’s Home for Girls and within earshot of pedestrians walking home.

Meanwhile we will have to look to the Budget for signs of the Rowley Government administering fresh medicine to the crime problem.