?Rev Colin Sampson is calling on police to value their human resources in the absence of physical resources, as they deal with the the crime stiuation in the country. Sampson was speaking during the Police Service's 23rd annual inter-faith service and parade at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain, yesterday. The street parade, however, was aborted, because of a heavy downpour. This year's theme was "We Shall Overcome." According to Sampson, the theme indicated that things within the service were not the way they should be. Many factors contributed to the situation, but not all came under the control of the officers.
He said there might be material things which they perceived were vital in their fight against crime, and which were not being supplied. "It is crucial for you, therefore, to value your present human resources and to make them know that they are valued, rather than to gripe over what you lack in material aids for your work." He said the priority was the ability of each member of the service to have absolute confidence in the integrity, professionalism and moral stature of each other. The priest noted that we lived in an era and context in which it would be foolhardy of the service if it failed to manage, assess and refine its human resources, in order to deal effectively and efficiently with the crime situation.
"If you are to overcome, then it is primarily your attitudes and mindsets which must be carefully trained to focus on overcoming. As such, the environment must not only be created, but also deliberately sustained. In this, each and every member of the service will "repay no one with evil for such evil, but take thought of what is noble in the sight of all." Sampson said the root of criminality within the service stretched from a long way back, and therefore was nothing which recently surfaced. "The horrors which the general public faces from time to time, with alarming frequency, of crimes perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated by individuals within the Police Service, could not have had a genesis overnight.
"Do not be surprised if the roots of this go as far back as 1970." He said in light of today's realities, in conjunction with the stresses that continually faced the police, medical and psychological screening was necessary for applicants wishing to enter the service. This should be accompanied by spiritual and moral references. Sampson said the service needed to invest spiritual, physical, emotional and psychological re-assessments which would allow officers to "identify and report" any telltale signs in any colleague which indicated the beginning of a downward spiral which may lead to serious problems. (AS)
