No leniency for criminals

Jun 10, 2015 Editorial

Strong and proactive social intervention is needed by the newly-elected government, especially the Minister of Public Security, to strengthen relations with the public and improve the image of the Guyana Police Force. It has become imperative.
But such intervention cannot take place successfully unless the police show more respect for the people and intensify their efforts to find, arrest and prosecute the criminals. By whatever means necessary, law and order, as dictated by the State, must take precedence.
It is true that in recent years little trust has existed between the people and the police, therefore the often stated desire of the Force to build confidence and have more people enlist in the crucial fight against crime, is unfortunately becoming a pipedream.
For the past decade, there was no clear and visible manifestation by the Government or the police to deal condignly with crime. The result is that the criminals continue to operate with impunity.
This is not to berate the many hard-working men and women of the security forces, but to be critical of the absence of a structured programme of how to combat the scourge of crime which has devastated the nation. In an environment of generally bad news about crime, the police should strive to find something positive to grab on to in order to regain the trust and confidence of the populace. It is a way of sustaining hope, which may translate into good policing.
In the current atmosphere where the crime rate is very high, the police hierarchy must accept that their continued poor performance is by no means helping the situation. Their inability to reduce the scourge is discouraging. There is a lack of skills and appalling incompetency at crime-solving techniques. However, the nation is hopeful that the reshuffling of some of the senior officers of the police force may bring about much needed change.
It is an indisputable fact that the public’s perception of the Police Force is unflattering. This will hopefully change once the new government gets a clear understanding of what is required in the current circumstances and rejects the inept methods accepted by the previous administration.
The Minister of Public Security and the leadership of the GPF are reportedly in the process of creating strategies for a sustained reduction of crime in Guyana, said to be among the highest in the world on a per capita basis. They need to work round-the-clock.
The bandits continue to commit heinous crimes, and a more serious approach definitely has to be adopted. The nation needs a police force that could be relied upon for their safety. It is the least that can be asked of those who have pledged to serve and protect.
It is now the responsibility of the coalition government to transform the Guyana Police Force into a modern, professional law-enforcement agency. That will take time, but we reiterate that the move has to start immediately.
The President has promised to increase the salaries of the security forces and equip them with the personnel, technology, material and legislative support to protect the nation and its people from marauding and hardcore criminals. It is incumbent upon the government to find some way to strengthen the link between the Police and the public they serve. The union will go a long way in combating lawlessness.
As the administration strives to find a way out of the dire circumstances in which the country has found itself in terms of crime, the priority will be stability as well as providing a sense of hope. There must be zero tolerance for criminal activity. There must be no leniency for criminals. The lawless must begin to feel pressure or the nation will be placed under perennial siege. The situation has become disconcerting for law-abiding citizens. The nation simply cannot move forward without law and order.

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