I have heard ten times too many that there are many competent persons in T&T to lead the Police Service but I wish to make a case that there are not. For all the masters, doctorates and varieties of certificates and diplomas members of the service have, I wonder if there is anyone with experience in leadership. I don’t mean leading a station, or a branch of some administrative unit since that would just be management, but I mean leadership; and I am asking all the members of the Police Service, is there any one of you with leadership experience? Has any one of you led a police or law enforcement organisation? I’m sure the answer is a resounding “no” with bowed heads. The previous commissioner tried to transform the Police Service by establishing agencies such as the Professional Standards Bureau, Financial Investigations Branch and a Counter-Trafficking Unit. Attempts were made to develop a code of ethics, obtain accreditation for the police academy, implement holistic initiatives that addressed management and deployment of resources, reducing crime, increasing detection and improving investigations by establishing case management procedures.
These plans excited the public and energised the service members, with the exception of the T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association and a few senior officers who felt bypassed for that position. The new way of doing things was intended to maximise policing resources and improve service delivery and accountability by holding the entire rank and file of the service answerable. There was no need for new vehicles. There was no need for more police, especially when the ratio to population in this country is higher than any other in the world. But the rest of the service did not want to work or be held accountable, so you had dissent that found support in internal and external structures. What you have now is a proliferation of resources and the very same low detection rates suggesting that things are simply not working. There appears to be a lack of strategic planning in the service. A perusal of the TTPS Web site shows no plans and targets; I have not heard any member talking about the measures and performance targets. It is, therefore, logical to say that the police in this country do not know where they want to go.
What I have seen from the acting commissioner is merely tactics; not strategies, and having travelled throughout the world consulting in police organisations, it’s the first time I have seen a commissioner appear to just not have the skills.
And though the PSC’s hands may be tied when it comes to appointing a confirmed person to the rank, they are surely not incapable of appointing a competent person to act. There is no evidence on the PSC’s Web site that indicates they are looking at management of resources. What good is it to look at crime reduction if you are not looking at whether the recorded crime is declining because of underreporting? What good does it do to look at the number of people trained and not the value or impact of training? Why would you set a target for the police to achieve financial compliance if they are not spending with efficiency? Finally, are you doing any analysis to ascertain whether the compressed training (manufacturing) of police and special reserve police is responsible for the increase in police killings and use-of-force incidents? Come on TTPS and PSC, the country needs you to put them first. Seems the decline of the TTPS began with departure of Gibbs and Ewatski.
RT Nicholls,
Australia