Desperate to solve its escalating crime rate Trinidad and Tobago will spend οΎ£13 million over the next three years to hire 39 serving and retired British police officers to bring their know-how to its outdated, struggling force, reported The Trinidad Times on June 14.
The report said that the team headed by a 35-year Metropolitan Police veteran, will bring "a wealth of experience in serious crime investigation to a country rife with gang activity murder and kidnap."
Called a "killing field" by a Trinidad businessman, Trinidad had a record 386 murders and 235 kidnappings last year. Of the 12,919 complaints made against the police from 1999 to 2004, only 20 per cent were investigated, according to Amnesty International.
And Jamaicans, disenchanted with their own police force, which, according to a Daily Gleaner editorial, they believe has "grown corrupt inept and repressive," and has contributed "more to social instability than the prevention or solution of crime," have demanded external help.
Three British officers have been recruited from the senior ranks of London's Metropolitan Police, and a fourth is on his way to Jamaica.
Last month when Nassau's prison break, which resulted in two deaths – a police officer and a prisoner – was the main topic of conversation, a worried senior police officer, in whom we have a great deal of confidence, commented that if the Bahamas didn't get foreign policemen into certain key areas of our force, this country's future looked bleak. Unlike Trinidad and Jamaica, we have not lost faith in our force, especially in Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson and his hard working police team, but it must be admitted that the force has too many in its ranks who are operating below the radar.
Although the Commissioner is quick to take a corrupt officer before the courts, there is only so much that even he can do when faced with all the hidden agendas within his force. In addition to the inevitable temptation to make a fast buck, there are family and friends who fall afoul of the law and expect special protection. This is the problem in such a small community where everybody knows, or is related to everybody else – it is a real challenge to honest policing. There are few officers like "Gussie" Roberts in the force today. Mr Roberts was a police officer, who, no matter who you were or who you were related to, marched you straight to the court house if he caught you in crime. It was
said of him that he would "arrest his ma" if he had to.
With an exasperated shake of the head, a government minister recently commented that it seemed that corruption is endemic in this country.
And a former cabinet minister remarked: "Corruption in this country is unbelievable – if has to be destroyed or it is going to undermine our democracy."
And as we write this a policeman has been phoning a young Bahamian all day Sunday. The young person has refused to take his calls. The family believes it is a shakedown.
And on June 14 Commissioner Farqhuarson is alleged to have been sent a letter signed by a group of "loyal officers" reporting what they call "systemic (sic) and ongoing corruption – openly advertising and promoting extortion of any number of legal and illegitimate business concerns within his district." They called the name of a senior officer. Further, they allege, this officer "is known to make open files disappear for the right price, thwarting the attempts of citizens to receive the justice they deserve."
We were unable to contact Commissioner Farquharson for him to confirm or deny receipt of this letter, or whether he had any information on the allegations it contained. However, included in the four-page letter, a copy of which was sent to us, 18 persons and companies – it was made clear that these were just examples, not a complete list – were named as paying protection" money. Four cases were given as examples of how justice is being compromised by files disappearing for a price.
This information would not have seen the light of day before we talked with the Commissioner. However, we knew one person on the list well enough to call him about the allegations. What we learned from him was so alarming that we are satisfied that if not all, then most of what that letter contains is true.
We think the public has a right to know.
For example, there is an allegation about $49,000 stolen from exhibit money in a certain case and shared between two policemen, both named in the letter.
Is this what our worried police friend meant when he said foreign police officers were needed in certain areas of the force?
Corruption might be endemic in this country, but it will sink deeper and take even firmer hold if we treat it as inevitable, shrug our shoulders and walk away. It is now that serious decisions have to be made if our police force is to be stripped of its corruption.
Editorial from The Tribune
