Police can’t do it alone

NEXT YEAR, ACP Anti-Crime Jayson Forde will be retiring from policing after 30-plus years protecting and serving with pride and he has no regrets. Before he leaves though, his hope is to reduce the country's crime rate through partnering with communities and utilising technology.

Forde spoke with Sunday Newsday on Friday via phone because he is "always on the go." Appointed to be the police's main man in anti-crime operations earlier this month, Forde said police had been having continued success for years and he planned to continue that. The San Juan native said his personal vision was to bring the country back to the old days of leaving one's door open, something he boasts still happens in his community.

He said, "Robert Peele said way back in 1829, that the police are the people and the people are the police. He is considered the father of policing. This is true to today. There are 1.3 million people and some 7,000 police officers, we can't defeat crime alone."

Forde who kept his strategies close to his chest said an increase in visibility would be a major part of his game plan. With there being "hardly anything new" in policing, Forde said there was a shift away from community policing and he planned to revisit that. Forde said there was no one fix for crime as it was a collaborative effort.

Forde said partnership with the public was important. He referenced Police Commissioner Gary Griffith who he said came with a background of politics and business and, therefore, brought alliances he formed then to the TTPS that benefited both police and the public. The partnership yielded fruit last week as LAPD officers were brought to TT to assess and assist local police. The tab was picked up by members of the business community.

"We have, what I like to call, a messianic complex in this country. We are always looking for a saviour to save us. We are fascinated by the new," said Forde.

Forde said, last year, police failed to meet their target to reduce murders significantly and, while the murder rate was less that the previous year, it was not what they had hoped. He said he believed the murder rate could be slowed by aggressively going after those who committed robberies and seizing guns as guns were the weapon of choice in both crimes.

While he welcomed the use of technology, Forde described it as a double edged sword and said it hampered policing in some ways. One such way was when citizens were tipped off about police exercises via WhatsApp. He said there were contingencies in place for such instances and police must be able to adjust when necessary. He added, while such complications could be a deterrent, technology had helped them in the past and he would fully embrace it.

Forde, who said his mother told him to become a policeman 39 years ago, pleaded with the public: "We have a commitment to make every place safe in TT. We can't do that alone. Success is always a team effort and failure is a solo effort."