Give Erla a chance too

Faced with some political scepticism, our president-elect Ms Christine Kangaloo asked the population to give her “a chance” to prove her integrity and independence.

Our new history-making Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher deserves a chance too.

Notably, both were properly appointed according to the law.

Given the frightening state of serious crime and public fear, it is the police service that we must first turn to for help. And the effectiveness of such police help starts with the CoP, in this case, Ms Harewood-Christopher.

But it does not end there. It can’t. While the minister and government may make top-level policies, the CoP also makes policing policies, almost all of which have to be implemented by the lower ranks, whether in a specialised unit or not. Security agencies like the Strategic Services Agency are a special case.

All in all, however, and as we have witnessed last week, the CoP is accountable to Parliament and population even for the misdeeds of these lower ranks. The time will come when public expectations will become quite demanding. She must be encouraged and supported as far as possible to set things in proper place now. Government has decided to keep her after her retirement age (60) in May.

Commissioner Harewood-Christopher was tested and recommended by the independent Police Service Commission (PSC) and unanimously approved by the House of Representatives. The population now desperately needs some public-safety comfort. People get scared when they read such reports: “A 77-year-old man is dead after he was trapped in a fire started by bandits who invaded his home and robbed his family before setting his Cunupia home on fire.” Or about “three men gunned down while standing on the road.”

The apparently random murders, home invasions, gang formation, etc, when coupled with the infectious public fear of crime, have helped push the country into a “flight or freeze” mode. And it is on the police that the population must now depend.

But as the evidence increasingly shows, police success depends a lot on reliable information from citizens. There is a crippling civic shortage here. Why?

Frankly, a major reason is the large amount of distrust and confidence in the police. The fear of divulging citizens' identities to offenders and the elimination of witnesses combine not only to increase citizens’ fear of crime but also to push them into “minding their own business.”

The bare logic is that the more concerned citizens are over crime, the more likely they are to provide information and support the police.

But it isn’t working this way. There are psychological barriers. Why? This overall situation needs the CoP's urgent attention.

The police cannot significantly reduce murders without significantly increasing the murder detection rate. A murder figure of some 600 in one year and detection rate of much less than 20 per cent also need the CoP's urgent attention, assuming the required resources are there.

However, the CoP is operating within a related bureaucracy. For example, the police depends a lot on the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who according to the president of the Criminal Bar Association Senior Counsel Israel Khan, is now working with “less than a third of the required number of state prosecutors for the courts.” The stipulated staffing is 137 officers. Of the small number he now has, some are fleeing into other positions.

The DPP, Mr Roger Gaspard, SC, seems to have more than the patience of Job. His staff shortage story is now legendary, especially after promises by former AG Faris Al-Rawi and recently by AG Reginald Armour, SC.

Even if the detection rates are increased, what happens to effective and efficient criminal prosecutions? So when the chambers of commerce, Opposition and other interest groups duly call upon the CoP, they may wisely include this matter.

The CoP has a challenge from the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) too. For example, the 2020/21 PCA report states that “84 per cent of citizens’ complaints were closed with no further action,” mainly because of the “statute of limitations.” Why the delay, the apparent lack of reliable information before time ran out? How much of this is the police's fault?

So it may help if the new commissioner is given a chance to put things right, and with public support where possible.