Police need Army stance

That is partly because police officers being brought up on criminal charges is not unusual. But, in its 44 years of existence, the Defence Force has never had any of its soldiers charged with murder. According to Capt Alexander, the Army takes its image very seriously and holds that there should be no distrust of it from the public. This, however, is a vain hope since there is no institution in the society which a majority of the public has confidence in. The armed forces are second only to churches in public regard but, according to a 2005 poll carried out by Market Opinion and Research International (MORI), only 26 percent of the populace have "a lot of confidence" in the Defence Force.

This might seem quite low, given the efficient manner in which the Defence Force handled the 1990 coup attempt. But this is not the basis on which citizens estimate confidence. More everyday abuses of power shape perception, rather than professionalism in times of crisis. And there have been too many reports of soldiers roughing up citizens in areas where their colleagues have had trouble, whether that trouble is having their homes broken into or having an altercation with a civilian.

At the same time, 44 years without serious criminal charges against most soldiers is a signal accomplishment. This shows that, to a great extent, the Defence Force has been able to inculcate the best traditions of discipline into its recruits. It also shows that the leaders in the Defence Force understand that the army is an instrument of the State, there to serve the democracy and its appointed leaders. It is this military tradition which has, to some extent, inculcated the army and its soldiers from the wider ills of the society. But, if the society continues its downward slide into criminal violence, then it is inevitable that soldiers too will become part of the malaise.

This is what has happened to the Police Service, which does not see itself as a quasi-military organisation, save in terms of force. With officers appearing in court for offences ranging from murder, rape, larceny, and fraud, it is clear that discipline, professionalism and honour rank low on the desirable qualities of the Police Service. And a core reason for this is that too many police officers see themselves, not as servants of the law, but as above it.

Police Commissioner Trevor Paul last Friday, referring to officers who had been charged with various crimes, said that " the mere fact that action is being taken is a clear indication that we are concerned with restoring the confidence of the public in the police." This is actually a non sequitur on the part of the CoP but, since the MORI poll ranked the police fourth from last in institutions the public has confidence in, Commissioner Paul has a gigantic task ahead of him. But perhaps a good start would be to inform the public about the status of investigations into the officers of the Chaguanas Police Station who beat teenager Devon Sookdeo while he was in police custody, a matter in which Sookdeo last year won damages from the courts. The public would also be interested in finding out what has happened with the investigation into the fatal shooting by officers of 20-year-old Kenneth Hamilton last August. If Commissioner Paul is serious about restoring public confidence, he must prove that he is very serious about removing those officers who cause the public to be distrustful of the police.