Cry-babies and beggars

By begging criminals for amnesty (a well meaning sound which shows how low we have become) we are giving the criminals a much higher status than they deserve.

The criminals should be begging us for amnesty after we have taken harsh action against them. Why have we allowed the tail to wag the dog? How did the script get flipped? To the extent that we are failing to arrest criminals, lock them away and make them pay, we should be looking at the systems that are failing us with a view to fixing and upgrading them. This includes the police, the judiciary and the prison services. The police are our first line of attack against crime. Before we attack them for their obvious failures, we need to make sure they are getting the resources they need and are properly managed. Performing police officers need to be promoted and rewarded. The police reform bill is a good start. It is not the end all but it does signal that the government and opposition are starting to get serious about dealing with crime. It is about time.

It would be a mistake however for us to sit back and think the government would fix crime.

Let’s face it, this is a slow government. For this reason, we the citizens have to agitate and push for meaningful solutions on a continuing basis. We have to complain loudly when we hear of police stations falling apart. The police need resources. Their systems ought to be brought into the 21st century by technology, computerisation and crime lab upgrades. They should be paid more to attract better candidates. With the use of DNA evidence, there would be a lesser need to rely on scared witnesses. It is about time the DNA bill sees the light of day.

We also have to push for prison reform so that young first time offenders who are just children are not mixed with hardened criminal adults. There ought to be an organised and managed way former prison inmates are carefully placed back in society after their prison time.

Reform in management, internal controls and monitoring should make it harder for prison officials to become compromised. We have to demand that the government look at the judiciary with a view to giving it the resources that it desperately needs and make crucial changes so that it functions better. In short, we have to stop crying like babies and act like adults by agitating for real, meaningful, responsible action.