Dear Editor,
Maybe I am the only person guilty of infringing your editorial policy of not publishing letters that appear in other newspapers; if so I apologise. I will not attempt to support or challenge the veracity of Oswald Craigwell’s examples cited in ‘Mr Ramjattan will not be leaving an unblemished legacy as Public Security Minister’ (KN, September 16). However, I have to disagree with the conclusion since failure according to the writer is premised on the belief that the minister will be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of little aggravations vying for his attention. My contention is that as the official tasked with oversight responsibility for public security policy, he has thus far demonstrated a willingness to examine new perspectives as he forges his legacy.
Yes Mr Ramjattan has made the point that the operational workings of the GPF will be free of political interference, but that should not be construed to mean that he is adopting a laissez faire approach to his responsibilities. Indeed his utterances indicate a philosophy that is not necessarily dissimilar to that of all the politicos who have occupied similar positions. To have a fair idea of the challenges to leaving an unblemished legacy we should develop an appreciation of the fact that public safety and security is unarguably one of the most difficult portfolios in government.
In addition to the GPF the ministry has oversight for two other service organisations in the Guyana Fire Service, and the Guyana Prison Service. Looking at a cartoon in SN of September 17 we see the image of a government with bent back strenuously attempting to lift a humun-gous “Corrupt Police Force” suggestive of government’s earnest effort to shift the organization to a state of restored public confidence in the police. Achieving public confidence is crucial to effective policing and ought not to be separated from the core principle of police accountability to the law. Perceptions of an ineffective, unfair or repressive police force which fails in protecting the public against crime will lose the public’s confidence. People assist the police and are willing to share information when they trust the police widely.
In passing I noticed in the same publication a letter ‘The police have to be train-ed and given the tools to cope with the challenges of change’ by Clinton Conway which I totally agree with since reforms without a focus on the people side of change will go nowhere. Therefore in addition to, or subsumed within a broad strategic plan there must be a change management plan which addresses the qualitative changes in people’s attitudes, skills and knowledge, and their perceptions of how proposed changes affect or will affect them. Intrinsic to such a plan must be benchmarks which speak to the projected changes and levels of those changes, and when they are to be met.
I like many others accept the pledge of ministerial non-interference on the matter of operational independence. However, I will argue that if the police are to assist the minister as he practises his philosophy of non-interference then the law enforcement environment must feature. There should be a high degree of professionalism; actions that are in conformity with the law and established policies; appreciable levels of public confidence; a willingness to take responsibility for decisions and operations; transparency in decisions; and openness to external scrutiny.
On the question of transparency the United Nations Handbook on police accountability, oversight and integrity clearly states that corruption and other forms of police misconduct thrive because of the inevitable secrecy that accompanies misconduct. It further states that lacking integrity the police very often will seek to “enlarge their operational independence, without any willingness to respond to the needs of the public or to be accountable in a transparent way. In fact, they desire ‘operational freedom’ without the burden of responsibility.” In an accusatorial political culture this plays out with one party seeking the slightest opportunity to score points with the police in the middle. An incorrigible police force takes advantage of this state of affairs by playing the operational independence card to the detriment of citizen security.
Finally Editor, a modern police force develops and operates as a learning organisation which is characterised by a willingness and commitment to investing in and making full use of advanced technology while revolutionising its approach to training and developing its people. It is my belief that police reform is an evolutionary process that occurs in organisations open to learning, which, to be successful must engage all groups in civil society in a professional and legitimate way. Engaging civil society groups enables the public to provide input to police reform operations and other processes aimed at enhancing policing in service to the people.
Yours faithfully,
Patrick E Mentore
