BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS of today, Sunday, January 9, 2011, Austin Williams’ preretirement vacation comes to an end and no longer will he head the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.
This means that the position of Commissioner of Police (COP) is vacant. But who will be the new COP? Will it be Deputy Commissioner Stafford Liburd, Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for Operations Joseph Richardson, Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for Crime Ian Queeley, or someone outside of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis?
This decision is in the hands of the powers that be. However, unconfirmed reports indicated that a senior government official was recently scouting in North America and England for someone to fill the gap and a Senior Officer from the USA with Kittitian/Nevisian roots may be the likely choice.
Should this choice become a reality there would certainly be major changes in the culture of the force and also some degree of conflict. Conflict in the sense that all three members of the Top Brass are qualified for the position and together they have given over 90 years service to the nation. Additionally, no one who is serving within an organisation for so many years, and on numerous occasions had put their life on the line for the upholding of law and order, would like to know that an outsider is chosen for a position upon which he/she has their sight.
It had happened in the past, but that was when the police force was in its embryonic stage.
Definitely, if an outsider were chosen, he would want to be appraised of the force’s strength in terms of human resource, the problems that exist within the country and also the force, the fields in which personnel are qualified and the resources available to combat crime.
No one likes to know that he/she was highly recommended for a certain job and fails upon completion of their contract. Therefore, it is logical that should an outsider be made the COP, he would want the resources necessary for him to be successful and he would certainly have them. If not, the powers that be will come in for heavy criticisms from the public; especially politicians and social commentators.
Now, let us carefully look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of an outsider been made the COP. As mentioned before, he would be given the resources necessary to be successful in his tasks, but would he get the necessary cooperation and support from those who are also qualified and want the position? How broad is his knowledge of known gangs in the Federation and their modus operandi? When compared with a local, his salary has to be equated with what he would have been paid in the country from which he came. He would also have to be provided with accommodation, travelling allowance, entertainment allowance and transportation, which is apart from the vehicle he would use while on duty.
Even though, from the international perspective, he may be more experienced than the current Top Brass, he will be entering new territory; he would have to be taught the culture of the organisation, its members and the people of the Federation. And this can only be effectively done through members of the force who may be offended by his presence.
But what are the criteria that qualify him for the position ahead of the locals. All three of them had long completed the International Command Programme. However, Richardson is the only one to have completed the International Strategic Leadership Programme and he has recently gained a Law degree. This does not mean that SKNVibes is suggesting he be the COP, because any one of the three is eligible.
Queeley is the only one among the three to have completed his International Command Programme under the tutorship of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was also seconded to the Regional Security System’s Headquarters in Barbados as the Director of Plans, Intelligence and Law Enforcement. This officer is also the first member of the force to have gained a Masters in Business Administration.
Further, Deputy Commissioner Liburd has been at the helm of the force [and still is] during Williams’ absence. If the police could boast of a reduced murder rate for 2010 and Liburd’s employment of a strategy, in collaboration with the Defence Force, which resulted in an almost violent-free carnival, then why not consider him?
The force is numerically small and many of its members have completed their promotional courses but remain in the same rank with no salary increase. Therefore, with a local being made the COP there would be elevation in ranks from Deputy COP to Constable. To some degree, it would motivate officers to place more emphasis on professionalism and may reduce the second job syndrome.
Indeed, there has been an escalation of crime at all levels in the Federation and the detection rate is not one that the force can ever be proud of. But the big question is, “Why such a low detection rate?” The answer lies in resources - unwilling witnesses who do not trust some officers and are fearful for their lives and those of loved ones, and the lack of technological resources.
This therefore means that the police have to develop and maintain an excellent relationship with the public to regain lost trust. The public must be encouraged to interact with law enforcement officers on a regular basis, and this can be done through sports and community activities such as the annual Christmas ‘get together’ being done in Tabernacle. Also, there was a time when civilians could have used the fitness gym at the Basseterre Police Station, but for some reason they were no longer allowed to do so. Think about the trust that can be developed and the amount of information that could be gained while exercising and communicating.
Additionally, SKNVibes would like to suggest a number of recommendations that can positively lead to improving the rate of detection:
1. Forty-five illegal firearms have been taken off the Federation streets for 2010 and hundreds of people had died and seriously injured from gun-related incidents over the past 10 years. Yet no word has come from the police if any of these firearms were involved in those incidents. There are members in the force who were trained in ballistics and do not have the opportunity to exercise their knowledge and skills. It is therefore recommended that they be provided the necessary resources to successfully bring the perpetrators to justice, such as equipment for ballistics match of those illegal firearms;
2. Over the years, and especially the first quarter of last year, break-ins have been the number one crime on both islands. Officers were summoned to most of those places where the incidents occurred but, yet again, low detection rate. What happened to the $75 000 fingerprint equipment purchased for the force? Do they use it, or is it that no one is trained to do so? Biometrics technologies will not only enable them to store, retrieve and match fingerprints, but also mug shots and hand-written signatures. Therefore, taxpayers need to know if their hard earned contributions have gone to waste;
3. Promotion must be based on performance, knowledge of the job and not political party affiliation;
4. Police should regularly use the media to promote activities that involve nation building and community projects. They should also use this medium to educate the public on their rights when arrested;
5. Because of its numerical weakness, the force should not assign desk jobs to trained officers that could be done by civilians. They must be free to do the work they were trained for;
6. Internationally, it is soldiers who provide security at the residence of the Head of State. The same is being done in St. Kitts, but police officers can be seen 24/7 in a small guard hut performing security duties at the Governor-General’s private residence. Knowing that we have to protect our Head of State, why not use the soldiers there and have the police officers concentrate on policing? This will certainly enhance vehicle and foot patrols in Basseterre and around the island;
7. Because of the growing increase in cost of living, more officers will be seeking second jobs. It is suggested that arrangement be made for them when off duty to provide security at areas such as hospitals, Warner Park and other government facilities instead of the strip and certain supermarkets, among others;
8. It was once suggested by the then Minister of National Security that under the Small Charges Act, violators of the law should be ticketed instead of officers having to spend hours in the court to provide evidence. This should also be considered;
9. Finally, SKNVibes believes that incentives should be given to those officers who, on a monthly or quarterly basis, have performed credibly.
Members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force have been mandated to serve and protect, but they can only efficiently do that if they are given the necessary resources, equipment and unbiased leadership.
It is therefore incumbent on the government to find the most suitable person to fill the vacancy of Commissioner of Police. But will the chosen one be from among the locals, or will it be an outsider?
