Dumas: More police not enough – deal with root causes of crime

RETIRED head of the public service Reginald Dumas says increasing recruitment in the police service will not address the country’s crime scourge.

In his $54 billion budget presentation on Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the government has mandated Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher to treble the annual intake of recruits, from 300 to 1,000, in 2024, as one measure to reduce crime.

He also announced that the police will be given $80 million for new vehicles and equipment to facilitate greater visibility in communities.

But Dumas said while more recruits on patrols may be a deterrent to crime in some areas, it does not address the root causes.

“You have to deal with cause,” he told Newsday on Tuesday.

Dumas observed that past governments have consistently been dealing with the effects of crime and not its causes.

“You have to first identify the cause and see to what extent you could deal with it, whether it’s family business, single mothers, absentee fathers.”