Distrust of police stems from lack of ethical standards

Jun 08, 2008 News

The region’s police chiefs are convinced that a lack of ethical standards will continue to lead to distrust of police officers and the further erosion of public confidence.

In addition, they believe that it will also lead to the retention of pockets of tension between the police and individual communities.

The revelations were made at last month’s annual general meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police, held in Jamaica. The conference noted the negative impact that unethical conduct was having on law enforcement in the region.

Within recent times there has been growing mistrust of the security forces, especially in Guyana, where several communities have expressed concern over the integrity of members of the local police force.

The village of Buxton, for example, has been known to harbour criminal elements who have been seeking refuge there since the 2002 Mash Day jailbreak.

The situation has reached such alarming proportions that, despite a significant reward being offered for information on criminal suspects, many citizens are refusing to cooperate with the security forces.

To this end, the regional police chiefs have identified some of the processes in an effort to identify the causes of corruption among police officers.

These include the review of the recruitment process; lack of proportionality as it relates to payment; lack of accountability, and improper vetting mechanism.

Also high on the agenda for implementation are the need to clearly define standards required of personnel; managers leading by example; hiring of qualified police officers; offering support to those officers who are considered to be whistle blowers; and early intervention to identify and remove those persons who are failing as ethical officers.

The region’s top cops also agreed that the continuing high turnover rate among police officers in the region was a matter of critical concern, and must be given higher priority on the regional security agenda as it has implications for national and regional security.

In recognizing the important role that females continue to play in the development of law enforcement, the commissioners noted that the ability to recruit females in greater numbers was being adversely impacted by the fact that, in most regional jurisdictions, physical accommodations did not provide adequate comfort for female officers.

It was further noted that greater attention must be given to the need to appropriately balance the competing interests of work and family life of female police officers. Mention was also made of the fact that there are no restrictions on opportunities for upward mobility among females.

In reaffirming its support for the Caribbean Federation of Police Associations and the Caribbean Women Police Association, the ACCP noted that police associations in the Caribbean have valuable contributions to make to the development of law enforcement.

It was further noted that the continued development of harmonious and productive relationships between managers of police forces and members of the various police associations is critical to the further development of law enforcement and the achievement of organisational goals.

There was agreement that one of the primary roles of law enforcement is the affirmative protection of the individual rights of all citizens.

In this regard, a commitment was made to continue training police officers in issues of human rights.
The Bermuda Police Service’s Strategy on Ethical Conduct will be adapted as a template for the development of similar policies to guide ethical conduct in other Caribbean police forces.

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Distrust of police stems from lack of ethical standards

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