It is a revealing trait of our society that individuals with even limited power often feel impelled to use their authority to make life more difficult for their fellow citizens. And officers of the Transit Police, and by extension the T&T Police Service, have for the second time within a few months displayed this callous attitude towards persons in need.
Last Thursday, a father carrying his ill four-year-old child to the Mount Hope hospital was delayed for almost-half-an-hour when he encountered main road traffic and turned on to the Priority Bus Route. Quincy Wilson's son had started vomiting and cold sweating while they were taking a drive but, when he turned on to the PBR in Barataria, he was stopped by the police. Mr Wilson explained the situation to the officers and even requested a police escort. But, far from responding with concern, the officers kept him waiting 25 minutes and then issued a $2,000 ticket. When Mr Wilson eventually reached the hospital, his son was put on drips and kept overnight.
Similarly, last October, Arlene Laban-Ammon and her husband were stopped, ticketed and ordered off the Priority Bus Route while she was in labour. Her husband had decided to take the PBR because they encountered peak morning traffic. When stopped, he explained the situation to the officer, whose response, according to Ms Laban-Ammon, was 'Yuh playing brave?' Luckily, the baby was delivered safely, albeit by Caesarean section, but the couple had to face that extra expense plus the $2000 traffic ticket.
Now there is no question that, in both these instances, the motorists were breaking the law. But there is also no question that, in such situations, police officers have the choice to exercise their discretion and assist citizens. In the case of Ms Laban-Ammon, the officer would have seen her gravid state, for Mr Wilson, they could have observed the four-year-old boy and determined his distress. Needless to say, such incidents hardly help improve the image of the TTPS, even if it is the Transit Police who are the active agents for PBR policing. Perhaps the National Security Minister needs to issue a policy directive mandating officers to extend a helping hand rather than an iron glove in such situations.
Unfortunately, the arbitrary exercise of power for power's sake is a common form of abuse in our society, from homes to businesses to government offices. But why is this? Sociologically, it may be interpreted as political insecurity manifesting in a former colonial society where officials see power as an end in itself, rather than as a means for reaching goals. Psychologically, it may reveal the inferiority complexes of persons with limited skills who need to abuse others in order to feel powerful. In both PBR incidents, the officers presumably felt justified in endangering the lives of a pregnant woman and a small child because the motorists were acting illegally. Put another way, the officers were unable or unwilling to go beyond the letter of the law and fulfil the spirit of protect and serve. Such adherence to legality might in a general sense be praiseworthy, were it not for the likelihood that, had the transgressors been friends or relatives, the officers' response would have been quite different.
This approach and attitude needs to change at all levels of the society. And requiring police officers to assist citizens is a good starting point.