TERRENCE HONORÉ
IT MUST be the crime of the century that we continue to keep appointing an acting commissioner to head the police service.
While I am elated and grateful to God that the position was finally approved, I realise that it must mean little to the criminal element, who is comfortable in the chaos caused by the ongoing saga of the poor handling of crime from a governance level.
It's not the fault of the police in the ranks that they can't seem to produce a leader appointed and approved by the authorities to keep law and order in the land. The selection of a leader is not their responsibility, it's the authorities that seem to keep getting it wrong.
We must remember that crime is the number one problem that we have to contend with in this little republic, but we just can't seem to get it right. That is a crime in itself. There must be a law to correct that.
But who is keeping score of the long list of fails and the litany of woes of the police since they were promoted from the days of wearing short pants? Who is charged with the responsibility to address these ills?
The crime problem is essentially one of leadership; it seems that many people have tried to make it political. The lack of an appointment is a disappointment to law-abiding people. Now the opposition chooses to abstain again.
What is the matter with our leaders that they can't get this simple task right? From the ongoing soap opera of the Police Service Commission to the interference by those with axes to grind, while God-fearing people look on in dismay and old grannies continue to pray.
I am told the last colonially appointed white commissioner was James Porter Reid (1966-1970). He was followed by the first black CoP, Francis Eustace Bernard (1970-1973). Then there was the local white appointee, Claud Anthony May (1973-1973). They were all duly appointed to their positions by the powers that be. But it didn't matter the colour of the commissioner, it's how we handle the white-collar, pink-collar, green-collar or red-collar set of 'rainbow' crime we have in our country.
As it appears, the curtain closed on the colonial era and the acting continues to this day. Someone in their wisdom thought it best to have the top cop in an acting capacity, even until the end of their time in the service when they walk away with a lesser pension.
It is obvious that the well-intentioned career officers who have performed their duties to protect and serve have found themselves coming short of the high standards set by the academically inclined commission, when it came to promotion to the CoP position.
But here we go with an acting commissioner again. We are watching too many movies. Arguably, few governments, if any, in any country have had so many 'actors' to lead their police force. It must be another record of which we can't be proud. Somebody has to start getting this right, so that law-abiding people can sleep well at night.
It's an indictment to this day that the police service is in such a state. There seems to be little r
