Enough planning. We need action on crime

During a recently televised interview, Fr. Clive Harvey confidently expressed the view that the People’s Partnership Government rode into office with a mandate from the electorate to address crime. However, in his view, its leadership in truth had no plans as to how that mandate would be carried out.   It appeared to him that, now that the People’s Partnership had succeeded in both national and local elections, it needed time to develop a plan.  He expressed the hope that it would include going after those who benefit from the continuing crime wave and have a direct interest in ensuring that this challenge is never surmounted.

Some weeks ago, Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs published his four-point plan for fighting crime.   The Chamber, in one of its articles, wrote that there was nothing new or creative in these proposals.  Shortly thereafter, in December 2010, the Prime Minister felt compelled to disclose the “KPB Plan,” (according to Minister Subhas Panday) which focuses on tackling poverty, enhancing law enforcement and making our criminal justice system more efficient and effective. In this regard, we share Commissioner Gibbs’ opinion that the two plans are similar.

In fact, if Fr. Harvey is right and the planners are in search of another plan which is results oriented, law enforcement agencies might as well examine the plan used by  Senior Superintendent Stephen Ramsubhag, the head of Northern Division.  SS Ramsubhag  reports that his Division has recorded a 36% decrease in overall crime for 2010.  His officers seized 105 illegal firearms during the year and executed 2450 warrants.  Murders, shootings, robberies, larceny of motor vehicles, burglaries and all major crime have decreased.  Our CARICOM neighbour, Jamaica, has reported that in Clarendon it succeeded in reducing the crime rate by some 15% at the end of 2010 by targeting criminal gangs, particularly the murderers.  Why not look at this plan? In the midst of all these plans and with our country at the critical juncture requiring delivery of services, the Chamber counsels the Minister of National Security, Commissioner of Police and their teams to ponder and put into action the words of Minister of Justice Herbert Volney, who stated “enough talk has taken place and the time is now for action.  I consider myself an action man.  I did not leave the Judiciary to continue the dialogue too much, but to get the job done.”  We feel that this quote should adorn every building, every vehicle, desktop and uniform of all those involved in law enforcement.

Minister Volney hopes to abolish preliminary enquiries and replace them with a new procedure that is streamlined and abridged, whereby those charges that require determination by a judge and jury are to go to the High Court, where the judge will hear both sides and determine whether there should be a trial.

While the Chamber welcomes his promise to save valuable magisterial time and to expedite the trials of those charged with serious offences, thus reducing their eligibility for bail, we hope that this proposed  streamlined, pre-trial procedure will work smoothly to result in the intended impact.

The Chamber’s plan for crime has been the same throughout the years under each Government and it bears repeating: all of the country’s laws must be enforced and there has to be round the clock presence of law enforcement for that dedicated purpose.

While we have seen some improvement at Christmas time and assume that the same will obtain at Carnival, police vehicles misusing sirens is not a part of the plan.  They impress none but irritate most as they seek to get ahead of those who patiently stay in lane, awaiting their turn.  While we are aware that Police Commissioner Gibbs and others engaged in law enforcement have complained that that there is a shortage of manpower and that they are trying to make good this shortfall, reduction in the categories of police leave, buyout of such leave, substitution of clerks for police officers doing desk jobs in the Service and (as was recently done)  the incorporation of security companies in the private sector as part of the crime intelligence network are bound to positively impact this shortfall. We have seen lockdowns in Diego Martin and Laventille. They must continue in other areas together with roadblocks and searching of buses, in particular, on a sustainable and random basis.  The Chamber recommends that this be the resolution of the Minister of National Security and Commissioner Gibbs for 2011. The targets and benchmarks ought to be those in the ‘Ramsubhag plan’ initially, and then incrementally higher.

Remember the words of Minister Volney, “Enough talk has taken place, and the time is now for action.”