One investment is bearing fruit

Nov 09, 2008 Features / Columnists

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Sometimes, it takes a while before an investment yields results, and during the time of waiting, people — particularly the critics of the Government — often conclude that it is a wasted investment.

If it is an investment by the Government, then people blame the Government for wasting taxpayers’ money.

That was the case with the investment in the Joint Services. At the height of the crime wave, the Government came to the realization that the security forces were grossly under-equipped.

Many were disillusioned, because they spoke of having weapons that failed to work at crucial times, many being more than fifty years old. The Government decided to invest in this sector, and made the reports of the investment public.

Immediately, the critics contended that, instead of investing in the security sector, the Government would have been better inclined to invest in food for the people and in creating conditions that would see the creation of infrastructure where people had long abandoned the lands, either because they had migrated or because they had grown tired.

The political opposition identified a host of areas that could have attracted the money that the Government spent on the security sector, failing to realize that, with the best intention in the world, societies throw up criminals who are bent on being the aberration.

To compound the problem, many criminal-minded men would boast that they are not prepared to work for what passes for wages. Some argue that if they stand at the roadside, they could collect just as much and even more.

Countries with far more resources have to cope with the criminals, who, with each passing day, become more deadly. Trinidad is one case in point.

The Government also realized that unless the security forces had the capability to solve crimes and confront the criminals, the latter would become bolder and their crimes more glaring.

The initial $400 million investment was greeted with much criticism, and anyone would have concluded that the critics were happy with the state of affairs.

The Government collected evidence that some politicians actually consorted with criminals. These would have been the people who would have become angry that the Government was better equipping the security forces.

The critics then pointed out that, despite the investment, crime was becoming worse. That was the period when the investment appeared to be wasted, because the results were not instantaneous.

It took a few years, but the better equipped security forces prevailed to smash gang after gang, whose members had sophisticated weapons, some of which are now in the police armoury.

This past week saw evidence of the successful investment. Criminals had become so emboldened that they attacked an armed courier service that was taking a payroll to people who had laboured long and hard to help the country prosper. That attack was well-planned, right down to the escape.

With the vastly improved weapons and better training, some of which the British must take credit for, because at the request of the Government the British came to help train the police, the security forces responded so rapidly that the criminals were literally caught at the scene.

The training helped the Joint Services persevere even in the dead of night to catch every single criminal and recover the payroll.

Contrary to the often stated view that the security forces are the judge, jury and executioner, the evidence is that most of the criminals are alive to face a jury of their peers.

There has not been a word from the critics. Instead, the ordinary people are basking in the fact that they are so much safer.

They saw people whom they knew and even rubbed shoulders with for what they are, dyed in the wool criminals who would stop at nothing.

They saw the fruits of the investment, right down to the helicopter that scoured the area in which the criminals had sought refuge.

They cheered when the news broke that the Joint Services smashed a criminal gang that has now admitted to crimes in so many areas — including crimes of rape and even murder.

The people know that one reign of terror is over because of the better equipped security sector. It is going to be interesting to see which of the politicians would defend these men in the courts.

This action has not ended all criminal activity, but it has surely eradicated a significant amount of fear among the population. It has also reflected that the investment was for the benefit of the nation.

Those who rush to blame the Government must now make their voices heard in the face of this recent success. They must apologize to the nation for even daring to blame the Government when it set about making the security forces more capable.

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