Acting Police Commissioner must focus on these issues

Feb 10, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
Commissioner of Police Mr. Leroy Brumell’s “Open Day” policy must be seen in the context of a police force moving to a more responsive posture in its relationship with the public it is mandated to serve and protect, and for this he and his management team must be commended.
This only goes to show what we can do if we move beyond the ordinariness of reposing all our confidence in personalities and start operating from principled positions and practices.
The foregoing speaks to the existence of a well crafted succession plan and in this regard the GPF has my best wishes for an initiative with the potential of becoming a sustainable positive intervention. I must caution against complacency however, by directing Commissioner Brumell’s attention to the relationship between reinstated NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and his top officers.
Among the things on my wish list that I would ask Commissioner Brumell and his team to focus on when circumstances permit are: The incessant claims by citizens of police involvement in criminal activities; and the apparent deliberate commission (or omission) of acts which torpedo investigations and ultimately impact negatively on the determination of court matters thus denying victims justice, and unfair targeting of the ‘usual suspects’.
Editor, before I expand on these two issues permit me to just mention two names (Sheema Mangar, and Randy Morris) which caused me to make the preceding comment.
Although police investigators are charged with the thorough and impartial investigation of crimes, the overzealousness on the part of some members sometimes leads to the conviction of innocent persons.
Furthermore, while it is not unknown that some officers of the court on the prosecution side have been less than enthusiastic when presenting the state’s case in court this attitude is aided and abetted by a less than professional investigative approach which likely results in a miscarriage of justice for the victims.
Why the apparent blunders on the part of the police as they relate to those two names is a matter for conjecture which will not detain us here save and except to say that something seems to be rotten in the system and must be purged.
A few examples of police indiscretions elsewhere might be instructive. During April of 1993 an 18 year old ‘A’ level student Stephen Lawrence was murdered in Eltham, London.
Despite the fact that the testimony of a police witness lent credence to the defence claim that the evidence was contaminated, scientists determined that a tiny bloodstain and a single hair on the jacket and jeans of the accused came from the victim.
Gary Dobson and David Norris were both found guilty of the nineteen year old murder and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and two months and 14 years and three months respectively by Mr. Justice Treacy who went so far as to admonish the police and urge them to investigate the other suspects in the murder. Editor, readers should access the transcript of the Nelson Mandela (Rivonia 11) trial to appreciate the relationship between motivations and reliable testimony.
In Tamil Nadu, India in denying the bail application by murder suspect N.R. Raghu the Court remarked “Even after a year and four months the police had cared not to investigate and take appropriate action in, the matter. If this is the state of affairs in a matter of investigation, then, the public at large will definitely lose faith in the criminal justice system. The case diary speaks volumes about the inaction on the part of the police…The police slept over the matter in spite of the fact that sufficient clue is found in the First Information Report about the role of the accused.
The police had not done a proper job for reasons best known to them.” Not to be deterred by these caustic remarks the police continued to “sabotage the investigation and tried to protect N.R. Raghu, the prime accused.” Ironically no attempt to arrest him was made until he was found dead under mysterious, circumstances. Editor I dare say that we can justifiably demand similar expressions of concern from the relevant quarters.
Patrick E. Mentore

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