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Police Federation should help wipe out corruption in force
KEN CHAPLIN
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
The Police Federation is a necessary organisation for the protection and promotion of the interest of constables and sub-officers. At the same time the federation must understand that it also has a responsibility to help keep the police force clean.
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| KEN CHAPLIN |
Over the years the federation has been failing in this responsibility. For example, it does not move strongly against policemen who commit illegal acts. It prefers to remain silent.
The impression I had over the years when I was a civilian director of information of the force and consultant to five commissioners, is that as far as its members are concerned they can do no wrong in the eyes of the federation. This attitude encourages some undesirable members to continue their misdeeds against the public and ethics and rules of the force. I have always maintained that 90 per cent of the force is professional and it is the other 10 per cent that damages its image. But the professionals do very little to keep the non-professionals in line, bring them to justice and help to rid them from the force because of some strange kind of comradeship. In fact a few officers, sub-officers and constables often try to protect them.
The attitude of some of those policemen makes the work most difficult for the Bureau of Special Investigation led by a fine officer, Assistant Commissioner Granville Gause. The BSI investigates police shootings. Because of the thorough manner in which it carries out its investigations, BSI is not always welcomed within the force. Indeed, it is the most disliked division within the force.
Since the early 1970s the image of the force began to dip, the main reason being the politicisation of the force and reduction in the quality of the recruits. The force could no longer attract the type of young men and women with a strong social background and training who went into other vocations where the pay was higher than that of the police force, the work less exacting and the chances of promotion better. The recruiting standard fell and investigation of the antecedents of those applying to enter the force was not as thorough as before. Many political activists were placed in the force and many young men with questionable reputations joined the force to use it as a cover for criminal activities. Some have strong links with criminals This is more prevalent in recent times than ever before and there is now widespread corruption in the force. Discipline in the force is not what it used to be.
One of the reasons for persistent corruption continuing so long is that the federation and some senior police officers, and indeed some sub-officers and constables over the years have tolerated this evil which brings the police into disrepute. It is only recently that commissioners have begun "to call a spade a spade". Former Commissioner Lucius Thomas, in a blunt statement shortly before he retired, said there were criminals in the force. He said that members of the force were providing gunmen with bullets and some of the same bullets were being used to kill police. The federation should have come out publicly and supported Thomas, but it remained silent. Then in March last year, the new commissioner, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, said that there were criminals in the force and he acknowledged that corruption was endemic so he intended to drive the transformation process being facilitated by the strategic review of the force. There was not a statement from the federation supporting Lewin.
Now Assistant Commissioner Les Green, head of the Major Investigation Task Force, has focused on corruption in the force. As usual, the federation did not back him up but instead called upon him to resign if he could not provide proof to back up his statement that police were involved in criminality. Where was the federation all these years that corruption developed in the force? There is proof of the criminal activities of some members of the force. I do not think that the police should release the names of policemen involved in corruption. The federation ought to know who they are and the court is the best place where evidence can be produced, but it was appropriate for Green to have sounded a warning. The police should pursue the course of justice, although getting evidence might sometimes be difficult. The federation is out of line asking Green to resign. Of course, no one expects Green to resign. On the contrary, he and other officers should push to rid the force of corruption.
There was one case published last week where a member of the force implicated in criminal activity was unfortunately killed, allegedly by gunmen. Constable Delroy Brown was shot as he walked from his car in an inner-city community recently .The police said that ganja was found in his car which suggests that he was trafficking in illegal drugs The criticism by Green should give the police more impetus to bring police offenders before the court.
For about one year now I have been hearing from senior police officers about the skills of Green, one the five police officers brought from the United Kingdom to improve the quality of service of the JCF. I have been told he is well respected because he is often at crime scenes working side by side with other investigators.
However, this column believes Green needs to brush up on his relations with the media. I telephoned his office last week trying to get information. I was told he was in a meeting. So I left my telephone number expecting him to return my call. After a long wait I heard nothing and when I called the number again I got a recording that "this number is no longer in service". Apparently, the number was changed. I am sure there are other telephones in his office.
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