The Caribbean is now turning to the UK for seasoned police officers to help tackle crime that has crept into and undermined its local forces.
Trinidad, crippled by kidnappings and murders – 235 kidnappings and 386 murders last year — will spend ﾣ13 million in the next three years to bring in 39 serving and retired British police officers to assist ﾠits local force.
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Security Minister said that when his country was first used as a trans-shipment point no one ﾠpaid any attention because the locals were not users of the drugs or guns that were being shipped through.
However, he said, some of the contraband started to remain in the island as part-payment.
“As a result, our law enforcement got out of alignment… it seems for some people that crime is paying. Clearly we needed assistance,” he explained.
As a result of the growing attacks on visitors to the tourist island of Tobago, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a travel advisory warning that the “inability of local authorities to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators is a serious concern.”
Jamaica has also turned to London’s Metropolitan Police for help. According to the Daily Gleaner, Jamaicans have had enough.
They have grown disenchanted with their own police force.
“They believe that it had grown corrupt, inept and repressive, contributing more to social instability than the prevention or solution of crime.”
St Lucia and Guyana have also requested British officers. And Barbados has joined the queue.
It’s now time for the Bahamas to give this matter serious consideration, before crime in these islands escalates to the levels of Trinidad, Tobago and Jamaica.
In 1987 Paul Adderley, then attorney general, told the House of Assembly that in the interest of the Bahamas and the security of its citizens govemment might have to recruit non-Bahamian policemen.
He said that prospects for increasing the needed personnel for the Royal Bahamas Police Force from among young Bahamian men and women “are on November 24, (1987) not very good.”
Despite nation-wide recruitment exercises the manpower was just not there they did not qualify
He said that in one Family Island 23 young men were identified as being potential members of the force.
However, after medical examinations, 18 were found to be unsuitable. Remembering the year – 1987 – drugs were probably the problem.
Another island, which at one time was a fertile source of excellent recruits, said Mr Adderley, “was described to me by one of the recruiting officers as a disaster area and they found none there.” Again it sounds as though drugs were their downfall.
Today the only change is that while young male recruits remain an endangered species, young women are qualifying. However, more men are needed, especially in the Defence Force.
If the information that Health Minister Dr Bernard Nottage disclosed at the commissioning yesterday of the anti-drug secretariat is any indicator, the recruitment future looks even less promising According to the doctor even 10 year olds are now marijuana users.
Today the police cannot recruit “squeaky-clean” young men, because during their pre-teen and teen years they have run afoul of the law, either by dabbling in drugs, loitering, or commiting various minor offences.
Now that they have grown to adulthood it is hoped that some of them have left their misdemeanours behind and will prove to be upright citizens.
It is understood that the situation is so dire, that rules are being “slightly” bent in the name of being practical to try to include them in the service.
But, if it is true that corruption is endemic to our society, and it is from this society that these young recruits are being drawn then common sense should tell us that they need a strong, outside influence to help keep them on the straight and narrow.
Editorial from The Tribune
