Policing and the society

Dec 22, 2012 Editorial

When one hears that the police are investigating crimes one immediately gets the impression that the information about the investigation is merely something to pacify the inquiring person. And this view is often reinforced when the police say that they have run into a dead end as far as investigations go.
There are numerous unsolved murders, unsolved robberies and even unsolved rapes. But before one gets the impression that the police are not working one should realize that more often than not, it is a case of the police not getting the necessary information to aid them in their work.
There is a bright bunch of detectives who not only have good interpersonal skills but who also know how to get the relevant information. This was highlighted more recently in a spate of arrests for some serious crimes. Recently, they were able to solve a series of murders when it seemed as if there were no witnesses.
There is a policeman before the courts on a charge of murder. He was one of the men who admitted to firing his weapon in Agricola at the time a young man died. The police conducted their investigation amidst national skepticism at the fact that the police were investigating themselves.
They have their work cut out for them to find the driver who killed a young man on the streets two nights ago and drove away. They did a great job in finding one such killer in Berbice. They have also been able to find almost every vehicle involved in a hit and run accident. That is good policing.
Solving crimes necessitates extensive legwork, a keen mind to listen to what is being said and sometimes, to being able to induce people to talk at a time when people are still reluctant to talk to the police unless it is in their own interest.
However, all is still not well with the investigative capability of the police and the wider society must accept some responsibility. For one, none can say that the force gets the best possible candidate out of the schools. In fact, no organization can boast of getting the cream of the crop because these more often than not, head overseas on completing school.
The second reason for the difficulty the police face is that it is often the last place a school leaver would seek employment. The force is not seen as the prestigious organization it once was and many factors have contributed to this. For one, there were the goons who some people say were the necessary evils.
Then there are always the detectives who probe cases. These are the people who are now helping the force to get a new face. The arrest rate has gone up because these new breed of policemen have developed a profile of the criminal and people are saying that the criminals do fit the profiles.
But they do not always offer the desired result to the public. The nation needs to take heart from what operates in the developed world. Just last week the police there solved a fifty-year-old crime. This sends a message. It tells people that no matter how long it takes, the police would always catch the criminal. They keep meticulous records and specimens. They are also not afraid to use technology. So meticulous are they that when there is prosecution they can get a conviction.
In Guyana we are deficient in this area. For one, the police do not use the support systems. They do not use the scientists in the society to help analyse scientific data and most of all, the investigating ranks are not the best when it comes to writing their reports.
Many cases have fallen through the floor because of what the judge or magistrate would later describe as bad police work. Since they are not the best, academically, they would appear to be incapable of properly stating the very facts that they wish to present.
It is here that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the legal department of the Guyana Police Force must be included in the presentation of cases.

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