Only one Police Service

It is the same Police Service comprising more or less the same officers that is here today and will be here tomorrow and thereafter.

We may justifiably inveigh against its performance and, with good reason, be condemnatory of its efforts. The malaise in the Police Service incites our righteous indignation and fulsome frustration.

However, we cannot approach the task at hand merely with a negative perspective. At the end of the day, the service unavoidably exists and occupies its space in the governmental apparatus. The urgency, therefore, is to seek ways and means to initiate effective and sustainable reforms in its functions, capabilities, competence and efficiency.

Some of these reforms may require a longer gestation period such as addressing the culture of the Police Service of complacency, deflection of responsibility, resistance to change, and recourse to plaintive prattle.

With the above perspective in mind, I have focused in the previous three columns on the absolute imperative of taking immediate and positive steps towards the reform of the Police Service because, in the short term, it is the effectiveness of police action which will curb the upsurge in crime and provide some breathing space for the population in which to examine and address, on a longer-term basis, other aspects of the societal landscape that facilitate the initiation and perpetuation of criminal activity.

However, before I proceed to look at some of these larger issues, it is necessary to elaborate on four aspects of police reform even at the risk of over-emphasis.

They are (a) effective communication within and without the Police Service as well as appropriate training, (b) capacity for creating a viable intelligence network, © community policing, and (d) motivation and morale in the service.

What I wrote six years ago continues to have relevance. I stated: “The appropriateness of the communication technology employed is of paramount importance but so too is the level of training imparted to police officers in order to effectively use the technology.

“Technology is merely a tool and its productivity and usefulness will depend on those utilising it. However, training has to be selective in specialty fields and targeted to those who have displayed basic intelligence, competence, willingness to learn, perseverance and commitment to duty.

“Another concern is the information and intelligence-gathering capability of the Police Service.

Such a capability is necessary if the police are to be in a position not only to anticipate criminal activity but also to acquire sufficient information for successful prosecution of those apprehended.

“The police have to be abreast of developments in the community especially of the potential for anti-social behaviour. They must also establish a network on the ground with feasible safeguards through which credible information can be accessed. However, it requires training, skill, judgment, discretion and alertness to effectively carry out the intelligence acquisition function. The question is how are these attributes cultivated in the Police Service. “Community policing, which has produced significant results in other jurisdictions, has been attempted here but without a great deal of success.

What then are the reasons for this deficiency? Is there a need to revisit the issue of police officers’ attitudes, orientation, diplomatic skills and public relations capabilities?” Community policing is not merely to be seen as driving around in vehicles and occasionally hailing out residents. Its task should be to engage the community, to be part of its social activities, to support youth endeavours, to be responsive to complaints, to be involved in dispute resolution, and to project exemplary behaviour