Blame the government - Carelessness erodes the best intentions

Blame the government – Carelessness erodes the best intentions

Jun 29, 2008 Features / Columnists

There has been another prison escape and, once more, the people are left to wonder whether the money going to the Police and the security services is well spent. Over the past three years, the Government has voted some two billion dollars in beefing up the facilities used by the security services.

The Government recognized that transportation is crucial to crime fighting, so it invested in cars, trucks and buses to move the crime fighting elements in a hurry to any location at which they are needed.

More recently, the Government bought two helicopters, which are attracting criticisms in certain circles, but which are crucial to the fight against crime. The cost of these helicopters is high, but the need for them cannot be underestimated.

But out of the blue something happens, and the nation comes to the awareness that some expenditure is not properly supervised. In this case, the Government has been voting money for the rehabilitation of Police stations and their facilities, but suddenly the nation woke up to find that all is not well with the Sparendaam lock-ups, to the extent that a most dangerous criminal was able to crawl through the floor and escape.

The Commissioner of Police has hinted at criminal prosecution of people found to be guilty of neglecting their duties. Others are going to face departmental trials; and when the dust settles heads will roll, because the people’s money must be jealously guarded.

The news that has come out from the Police investigations is that there was a loose floor board in one of the cells, and this situation has been existing for more than a month. The information was passed to the people in authority, but no action was taken.

No one can blame the Government, because the money was allocated to correct such deficiencies, so there can be no excuse for this situation to continue for as long as it did, resulting in the consequence that is going to see the Government spending even more money when such spending could have gone elsewhere for the benefit of the wider society.

It is going to cost a lot to find the fuel for the patrols now hunting the escapee, feeding the men in the fields while they search, and such other incidentals. This is so unnecessary.

Already there are people who are saying that the Government is responsible, because the Government funds the operations of the Police, the army, and the other sections of the security services. What is not recognized is that the Government has placed its trust in the people who manage those organizations.

There is no doubt that these services are doing an excellent job in most areas, but sometimes all it takes is a slack official in some corner to undo that good. This is what has happened in the case of the escape from the Sparendaam lock-ups.

On many occasions, the people who like to blame the Government have been critical over the lack of promotions in certain quarters. They never stopped to think that there had to be a reason for the non-promotion. Only situations such as the recent one allow for the exposure of the inability of certain people to perform at the higher level, and therefore their unsuitability for promotion.

However, the critics keep attaching all manner of reasons for the non-promotion, to the extent that the person who is not promoted believes that he or she is discriminated against.

The Government is in no position to demand refunds where there is clear evidence of neglect that proves costly. Had that been the case, then one can rest assured that there would have been even more strident voices blaming the Government.

Something that also escapes the critics is the fact that the Government alone cannot succeed in any venture. The cooperation of the wider society, including the political opposition, is needed.

If there were such cooperation, most of the crime would not occur, because the criminal would recognize that the entire society is against the criminal. Bu this is often not the case. Instead, there are those who are prepared to sit back and wait for an opportunity to apportion blame, because that is the easiest thing to do.

There is now another dangerous criminal on the loose. People in the society must have been seeing this individual, and some are actually providing succour. These same people are going to be among the first to blame the Government when they are at the receiving end of criminal activity.

Latest News

Blame the government – Carelessness erodes the best intentions

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Guyana Beverages Inc. partners with GFF for Maid Marian Wheat Up...

GFF provides support to EBFA U14 Boys’ League

Athletics scores big at NSC National Sports

St. Theresa’s Primary triumph in Republic Bank...

Wakenaam Masters to face Parika Defenders in T20...

Bakewell supports Kashif and Shanghai Futsal...

Features/Columnists

Fastest growing economy and an empty stadium

Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all

The fight for power, then where to?

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Blame the government – Carelessness erodes the best intentions

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]