We Need Solutions Now…

We all know that Assistant Commissioner of Police Elodio Aragon has been tipped to succeed Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries.  It is clear that the Jeffries experiment has been an utter failure and that the violent crime situation is out of control and getting worse.  In these circumstances, Operation Jaguar, the latest strategy to fight the unprecedented level of violence, was the stage on which Mr. Aragon would show himself as the best candidate to be top cop.

But Mr. Aragon’s debut was not an auspicious one.  While Operation Jaguar had early success, perhaps buttressed by the Police Department’s penchant for withholding violent crime statistics, it fizzled as time marched on, and in effect, it has been rendered not effectual.  This means that the temporary lull in violence, particularly the senseless gun related murders, is no more and that the marauding gunmen are back to wreak havoc on society, even as we keep trembling in fear.

It seems though that no one told the Police that Operation Jaguar was not intended to solve our crime dilemma but that it was only a last ditch attempt to get a grip on a rapidly deteriorating situation.  There was no way that chasing the youths off the street corners and that sweeping up the youths in the crime ridden areas of Southside Belize City would put an end to the violence, not when the Police have avoided going after the “big fish” to dismantle their criminal networks.

There is no doubt that Operation Jaguar was not carefully planned and thought through, and as a result it did not achieve its desired results. In fact, Prime Minister Honorable Dean Barrow and Minister of Police and Public Security Hon. Douglas Singh have proven that they have no idea of how to deal effectively with crime. Meanwhile, we are being held hostage by the criminals who act with seeming impunity as they are not likely to be brought to justice even if they are caught.

Mr. Barrow is quickly finding out that it is easy to complain and to criticize when you are not accountable.  In Opposition, he had the panacea for crime, condemning the government for not doing enough to protect its citizens. But now as PM, he cannot even allay our fears. Alas, his idea of getting tough on crime is sitting down the notorious gang leaders to persuade them with his prodigious tongue that they must stop the wanton killings.  This was clearly naïve on his part.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that the criminals are not too worried by Mr. Barrow’s recent blustering about going after the criminals who are terrorizing society.  The criminals themselves know that he cannot take the tough decisions, that he takes the political temperature to determine what position to take, that he is a polarizing leader who cannot unite everyone in the fight against crime, and that whenever he enlists the Opposition’s help it is only for political mileage.

It is time for Mr. Barrow and Mr. Singh to stop waffling and to focus on the choices they must make and the priorities they must set if they are to effectively manage the crime situation.  We are fed up with the high levels of armed robberies, home invasions, killings, and other serious crimes that cause us to be fearful. Moreover, we are fed up of the Police always being one step behind the criminals, causing us to be hostages in our very homes.  We want solutions, now!

As was the case with replacing the beleaguered Hon. Carlos Perdomo with Mr. Singh, simply replacing Mr. Jeffries with Mr. Aragon will not do.  In all fairness to him, he is perhaps the most qualified academically of the Assistant Commissioners, but he also has the least operational experience. He has not commanded one of the more important Formations, much less proven himself in the Southside’s bloody streets.  He has spent most of his career in management.

These are trying times for the Police who have had their image tarnished recently, and as a result, they cannot be run from the ivory tower where Mr. Aragon dwells.  Besides, we all know that he owes his meteoric ascendancy to Mr. Barrow’s patronage.  But his “jumping” of ranks has made him a polarizing figure as it seems that he is not accountable to anyone, and inexcusably, it has decimated the morale of the rank and file officers who risk their lives every day to protect us.

But to make inroads into the violence, we must rebuild public trust and confidence in the Police.  It has to be done, even if it means prosecuting officers, including senior ones, for corruption and other untoward behaviors.  Some of them have behaved so recklessly that they have caused a serious erosion of public trust in the Police.  Yet, it is clear that without the public’s help, the Police will not be able to get the upper hand on the worsening crime situation any time soon.

Therefore, Mr. Jeffries must make himself accountable and responsible for the outcomes of the crime fighting strategies, negative or positive.  Likewise, he must speak publicly about the lack of resources that hamper the Police’s performance and must lobby for what he needs.  At the same time, he must stop pandering to Mr. Barrow and Mr. Singh and demand that they provide a supportive policy environment for the Police’s success.  It is time that Mr. Singh earns his keep.

| | | | | |