The possible starting point for a more civilised approach to policing

Jan 10, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am of the firm view that anyone who knows me can argue successfully that I am unsympathetic to the problems of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).  What I may justifiably be accused of is my concern with the frequency in which its members harm the institution’s image and a seeming reluctance to address infractions condignly.
Recently, letter writers have been expressing their disgust with the way things are being done in the GPF; two names immediately come to mind – Mark Archer, and Ralph Seeram.
The forgoing notwithstanding, I believe that the awareness and appreciation that civic-minded individuals and organizations continue to show in their support of the GPF is commendable. However, certain questions need to be answered if we are to arrive at a position of reciprocity in the police/public relationship.
We need to establish the efficacy of new initiatives and strategies in law enforcement; the positive changes which have resulted from revised policing policy; whether the police and the public really understand that the public has a critical role in monitoring police actions – a role that the police must be prepared to deal with positively and in the best interest of all citizens. Policemen (and women) by their words and actions need to reassure citizens that members of the Force are not above the law, and if they exceed their powers they are likely to face the courts, according to the general principles of civil and criminal liability.
Concomitant with the above is the need to sensitise officers and ranks to the implications of current issues and the potential impact these could have on law enforcement strategies. The last is not to suggest that there ought to be a deliberate policy of infusing a particular political orientation as a vehicle in the sensitisation process.
Moreover, in addition to the other established institutions, the GPF needs to be perceived as another agent of socialisation which can have immense advantage in the restoration of confidence in that body.  Furthermore, the GPF cannot afford to ignore or exclude any segment of society if it is to achieve its stated goals.
It is widely accepted that the underprivileged and vulnerable whether by force of circumstance, or as a deliberate policy on the part of certain sections of the society, will as a rule, be antagonistic and unsympathetic towards that body of men and women which is identified with force, sanction and punishment, and as an instrument of oppression.  Simply put, it is not sufficient to devise strategies against lawlessness if they are seen only as temporary measures of appeasement or perceived as targeting the lower strata of society.
We arrive at the question on the efficacy of interest groups and the image they project with respect to their intentions and professed concern about crime levels and the measures intended to reduce them.
The existence of those interest groups becomes meaningless if they are perceived as not sympathetic to the plight of the vulnerable and underprivileged. In fact there is a public perception that among these groupings are those whose interests and agendas are not confluent with those of the underprivileged, and who promote little or nothing of any significant benefit to certain geographical areas which are labeled as habitats of criminal elements.
We need to appreciate a simple truth that some groups formed ostensibly to address crime and criminality are not experientially equipped to relate to the inhabitants of depressed, underprivileged areas.
What arguably obtains is that these “concerned” citizens are not empathetic with the very real feelings and concerns of those denizens; however, empathy should not supplant other considerations, including the probability that people are more than likely to relate to individuals and organizations who readily identify with their socio-economic status and provide avenues for the expression of their political frustrations.
It is therefore understandable that the columnist with the power to influence and shape public opinion would be the ideal conduit for the thoughts and perspectives of society’s unfortunates, particularly as s/he is not perceived as part of the nouveau riche or bourgeoisie.
In much the same way, the columnist can be utilized effectively to transmit the policies of institutions such as the GPF, relative to specific target classes.
Moreover, it is left up to the GPF to be more innovative in pursuit of its motto of “Service and Protection” by devising strategies for input into prevention programmes with emphasis on juveniles whose relatively tender years make them more susceptible to both positive and negative societal influences. Thus it is incumbent on the GPF to approach “concerned” groups and individuals with the aim of having them contribute in significant ways to the moral and other development of the nation’s youth in the medium and long term.
Such an approach could have the effect of channeling the enthusiasm of these groups and persons along meaningful pathways in tangible and more appreciable ways.  One truism likely to be experienced is that people are more amenable to measures if they are assured of some ultimate benefit.  Additionally, by highlighting the value of all-round participation, an appreciation would develop that youth interests which hitherto were under represented, are now the focus of specialist and youth groups.
Of equal if not greater importance is the thought that the officers and ranks of the GPF would have an intimate knowledge and an appreciation of the positive long-term effects of their actual involvement in the prevention process which results in enhanced community police relationship.  If ranks are not in touch with the larger reality, they are likely to view exercises of this nature as being merely punitive, intended to encroach on their free time which they themselves should be spending with their children to ensure that they do not end up as juvenile delinquents through parental neglect.
It is my sincere wish that my few thoughts will not be construed as an attack on the Guyana Police Force as a few are wont to believe, but may be seen perhaps as the possible starting point for a more civilised approach to policing in this country.
Patrick E. Mentore

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