Police service and new beginning

THE EDITOR: There is so much going on in the house of the TTPS, except implementing the right policies and apprehending the criminals, that one wonders if it is still capable of protecting and serving.

The National Security Council is probably on the brink of giving up on one of its arms, the TTPS. Chronically infected by minds devoid of ideas, paralysed by indecision and administrative incompetence, it is difficult to distinguish the sprinkling of helpers from haters. Recalcitrant behaviour is subtle, judging from the views of recent retirees.

The State is at its wits’ end to prop up an institution that has headaches at the top and flaccidity in its lower limbs. Can the Police Service Commission help? Any suggestions from the Police Welfare Association? Is the Police Complaints Authority handling the negative feedback from the public? Are these tentacles functioning at all?

Is the TTPS the proverbial bad workman who quarrels with his tools? Are the vehicles so useless that they are allowed to fall into a state of disrepair?

The flashing blue lights and blaring sirens no longer strike fear in the criminals. Maybe the officers don’t feel safe enough with their protective gear and their state-of-the-art artillery cannot match the criminals’.

How can the State appease the TTPS? When vetted units were offered, the standard of efficiency fell. Insurance compensation for the family of officers that fall in the line of duty were met with frowns. Adjustments to the compensation packages didn’t serve to lift the spirits. Is this an institution with such low morale that it is venting its frustration on a helpless public?

Wearing body cameras to record your day’s work was met with resistance. Isn’t this one of the fairest ways to compare your work against the public’s perception?

The foundation of the TTPS has been undermined by termites making what appears to be bedrock to be really an empty shell. No amount of schooling and training can cause leopards to change their spots.

If the pillars of a building have lost their integrity, the best option is to rebuild. The conclusion: allow the TTPS to peter out or disband it and introduce a new institution with higher entry-level qualification, new standards, regular psychological testing to ensure unwavering honesty and commitment – and misbehaviour in office to be deterred by punishment of the extreme.

But buried in the archives to save the day is the use of a police inspectorate.

Is it true that the recommendation to start this new body was made by people, some of whom are now at the helm of the service and others who were employed to keep tabs on criminality? Didn’t the Government of the day decommission the ideas for implementation? Now that water is more than flour we are prepared to try old wines in old skins.

Prison authorities have been complaining how the use of drones by people unknown are compromising the security of the prisons. Deliveries are made to inmates and contacts established. This novel idea is outside the thinking of the security forces.

The management of drones by the TTPS can make law-breakers visible and give the service a head start on apprehension. Together with well-trained personnel, vehicles and dogs, drones can reduce the nesting places of criminals.

Won’t the efficiency of the service be improved if law enforcement can outmanoeuvre the criminals?

The advances in criminality need 21st-century policing.

LENNOX FRANCIS

via e-mail