Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 10/Mar 07:42

No longer ‘safest Carnival ever’

THE EDITOR: We have finally been downgraded from the “safest Carnival ever,” over the past several years, to our Carnival now described as being “generally safe.” If this weren’t such a serious matter it would certainly be humorous. Generally safe reminds me of the medical equivalent where family members are met with “the operation was a success, but the patient died in recovery.” I recall having commented on this before. As I entered the archives, there I was, in 2010 and 2014, among other times. However, in 2014 an ex-regiment member, ordained as the minister of national security, was found bragging of his successes, saying something to the effect that “the days for crime plans (were) over.” Today we see "Captain X" trying every trick in the book to make himself relevant in the political arena. Apparently the “brand” he was seeking to create failed to manifest as planned. In 2014 I argued, as I do now, that in taking credit one must also be willing to accept blame when things go in the other direction. Unfortunately, this is not how things are done here. We are quite good at taking credit. However, when it comes to accepting responsibilities, we are quick to find others to share the blame; it is always someone else’s fault. Generally safe today means that five murders are quite acceptable for the 2025 Carnival. We watch as the top brass walk the streets surrounding the Minister of National Security with big smiles and greetings and handshakes. The minister is quoted as saying, “Citizens are reporting to me and to the government that wherever they turn they see police.” My question to Minister Fitzgerald Hinds is what happens when the state of emergency (SoE) ends and the police are no longer present everywhere? See, I admitted decades ago that I am neither a brain surgeon nor a rocket scientist. I do confess to being a sociologist – at least based on academic accomplishments. I do recognise also that the SoE, like the covid lockdown, must come to an end sooner or later. What gives then? How many murders would be considered generally safe for the years ahead? For 2025, five seems to be quite acceptable. If all the “strategies and techniques” applied by the police still result in five deaths in two days, then someone somewhere might want to inform Hinds that the police strategies and techniques have failed, miserably. For far too long the police have been a failure and an embarrassment to this nation. They have justified and concealed their failures over the decades by constantly changing those at the helm. There seems to be an unspoken policy where no one is kept at the helm long enough for their incompetence to catch up with them. Their pathetic detection rate on murders has been the one constant over the decades, hovering around 11 per cent. And the conviction rate for murders is usually around three per cent – of the 11 per cent. I wonder if citizens understand what this means: almost 97 per cent of murders have gone, and continue to go, unpunished, annually. Meanwhile, with each budget they are provided with more officers, more cars, more guns, more vests, etc. Ironically, somehow bodycams have always remained beyond their budget. The police are a failure and remain a failure for several reasons. The main ones I have observed are politics and management. The politics are unavoidable, be it national or interdepartmental. Poor management, however, is another kettle of fish. Management’s issues are wrapped up in several layers of incompetence. A primary one being the ever-changing role of policing in a dynamic environment, where institutions refuse to acknowledge and adhere to the changes in a timely manner. We literally have dinosaurs who hold on to models of policing from earlier eras which are no longer relevant to a contemporary society. A prime example of a name and style that is consistently reintroduced at every turn is Randolph Burroughs. Burroughs knew nothing of the concept of “intelligence-led policing.” The mere mention of the term “intelligence” to the police is perceived as a threat. Policing today is not about size and brute strength, but is governed by science. The police in their drive and efforts fail to recognise this simple truth: Generally safe is them doing their best. RUDY CHATO PAUL, SR D'Abadie The post No longer ‘safest Carnival ever’ appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.