Some suggestion for the police on crime-fighting

Nov 20, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
On Wednesday the 18th of November your editorial caption, ”The crime-fighting effort must be strategic” and in today’s editorial caption, ”The police and the crime fight”. What I find interesting in both editorials is the need for the three crime prevention measures to be adopted. The three crime prevention measures are situational, social and tertiary. A recent letter to your paper, dated November 2nd 2015 captioned “A detail blueprint for crime fighting” I outlined the measures to be adopted to fight crime which I will not detail now. However, what I find very interesting in today’s feature / columnist, Mr.Freddie Kissoon mentioned some of the inconsistency in sentencing and in today’s Kaieteur news caption “Police involvement, early release of gang members worrying-Crime Chief”.
The Crime Chief outlined some concern with how criminals are granted bail and on pretrial liberty continued to commit crime. The courts have a very important role to play in the fight against crime since the court is one of crime prevention measures in the fight against crime. However, the courts are there to protect the public in general and the accused. Therefore, the courts have a balancing act to play so it must dispense justice fairly. The court will look at all the mitigation circumstances before it reach a decision whether bail should be granted.
Crime is of concern to all citizens because its traumatic effect it has on society in general. You mention that a combined effort is required to fight crime which involved the public, government private sector and community based organisations. This could only be achieved if a combined effort is made in respect to various communities that are prone to crime. The police must have a more active approach to crime and most importantly they must gain the confidence of the general public. Failing to do that, the police will be unable to reduce crime. The police will need to expand beyond the rudimentary aspects of law enforcement training such as firearms, driving, unarmed defense and criminal law into one that emphasizes an analytical preventative approach. While law enforcement must continue to train for their roles as first responders in post-incident management and investigation, police must receive training and education in:
· Understanding the nature, dynamics, and operations of criminal groups that may operate in Guyana, and how that translates into more effective patrol and investigative functions;
· Understanding the locations, movements, and plans of criminal gangs that live and work in the communities;
· Gathering and analyzing intelligence on potential criminals activities;
· Conducting threat assessments;
· Conducting inquiries and investigations into potential criminals while safeguarding the constitutional rights of all people.
In any crime prevention strategy, the media will play a crucial role in defining the nature, scope, and level of threat in critical situations, in disseminating information, and in calming the population. Through relationships and partnerships cultivated with reporters, the local media will look to law enforcement as an important partner in delivering accurate and relevant information to the public. While government cannot control how people will react to a crime, the media can help shape attitudes and behaviors by providing helpful information as well as seek assistance in obtaining information that may be relevant in the prevention or investigation of a crime. Making information available about measures taken to prevent or defend against an attack will give citizens a greater sense of control over uncertain situations and tend to lower the level of public fear.
Morris Springer

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