Last week the Prime Minister led a delegation to the US for energy, crime and security talks. At the media conference on his return, he confirmed that several meetings were held with multiple US agencies to solicit help in addressing national security issues. Meanwhile, in T&T, the Opposition leader led meetings with the public about crime.
On Wednesday last, the CoP appeared before the Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on National Security and confirmed that the 2023 crime reduction targets were unmet.
The CoP’s performance before the JSC belied the list of academic qualifications and accomplishments the PM used to justify her selection. Unfortunately, her responses did nothing to inspire confidence in the public or within the Police Service in her ability to lead the service to an improved performance.
This amounts to double jeopardy. Quite apart from the failure to meet “over-ambitious” targets, the obvious under-preparation for the meeting with the JSC begs the question of whether the management team understood the significance of the meeting.
It is tempting to focus on the performance of the CoP. That would be a mistake. The problems afflicting the service predate Erla and will still exist when she demits office. The mere appointment of a CoP cannot solve deeper systemic issues.
Whilst a leader can be a change agent, changing the performance of the Police Service as an organisation requires cascading and reinforcing objectives. That was not evident from the dialogue.
Some of the responses spoke to wider issues of organisational capacity, systems and discipline structures. The general impression is that management is not up to the task and the discipline within the service needs reinforcement.
The law puts the Police Service on the front line in the attack on crime. If we are not winning the war on crime, it is important to identify the weaknesses at every level which prevent the organisation from being fit for purpose.
Suggesting, as was done in the budget, that hiring more police officers will somehow address the crime problem is the type of palliative public relations device that will increase expenditure on personnel, but bring no lasting change in performance.
Similarly, spending or proposing to spend another $100 million on the Defence Force to assist the police is another empty gesture that is destined for failure.
An attorney general has claimed that the number of people involved in gangs is small, numbering approximately 2,000 people. Yet a numerically superior Police Service appears always to be outmanoeuvred, outclassed and outfought.
Either gang numbers are underestimated, the police are poorly organised, or the National Security Minister is right in suggesting that the criminals have penetrated all levels or some combination of these possibilities.
Merely appointing a CoP cannot address all issues.
Any CoP will need energy, willpower, a support team in the field and the administrative areas and time. Other security arms, like Customs and Excise, must also be improved to halt the importation of arms and armaments.
The forgoing means that T&T cannot outsource its issues to foreign agencies.
No plan will work unless there are trusted people capable of executing a plan.
God helps those who help themselves.
