Heather Robinson
THE COMMISSIONER of Police, Francis Forbes, stated last week that every September there is a call for his resignation. This call is usually made after the murder statistics for the preceding eight months are released and discussed. Some Opposition politicians have expressed agreement with this call that has been made by some journalists.
Alongside the request for the Commissioner to resign this time has come the request for the resignation of the Minister of National Security, Peter Phillips. Francis Forbes is now approaching his eighth anniversary in this position. Mr. Forbes is in a very unique position as head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. He is the force's first Commissioner who has risen through the ranks to have had the benefit of a university education (UWI) having a law degree, and has also been the beneficiary of many courses at the tertiary level. All of this exposure to higher education was done for the most part at the expense of the Jamaican taxpayer. A trained and well-practiced senior detective, Francis Forbes understands how to catch a criminal, place them before the court and get a conviction.
ANNIVERSARY
Peter Phillips will in a few weeks mark his third anniversary as the Minister of National Security. Dr Phillips is the holder of a doctorate in political economy and spent his pre-politics life as an academic/lecturer. He has had the experience of being the Minister of Health, Transport and Works and was also a General Secretary of the People's National Party. Dr. Phillips is the leader of government business in the House of Representatives and is a Vice-President of the PNP. Dr. Phillips succeeded K.D. Knight as the Minister of National Security, who had served in that position for eleven years and eight months. Some of the matters raised by the Police Officers Association (POA) on Monday are very old matters, but I wish to concentrate on two.
The first is the absence of a working ballistic testing machine at the forensic laboratory. This machine was not Y2K compliant and has ceased to operate since 2000. When this machine was functional, detectives were able to receive ballistic results in short order, and could cross-reference results to see how many murders were being committed with the same firearm. Now it takes so long that criminals are given an additional advantage over the police.
INTELLIGENCE
The second issue has to do with the allocation for intelligence gathering. Criminal activity is most prevalent in poor communities with high levels of unemployment. Within these communities reside some citizens whom we refer to as decent and law-abiding. But sometimes when they wish to give the police information they cannot even afford to make the call, as there is no credit on their phones. If police officers knew that they would be able to give these persons credit on their phones - and not always from their own meagre pockets - what a difference it would make. But what is the allocation for intelligence gathering? Ask a Divisional Commanding Officer and find out.
Francis Forbes does not believe that he should resign, and why should he? Why would our first Commissioner with tertiary education wish to leave the JCF in disgrace? He must want to do his best, and he knows that when the chips fall they fall only on his laurel wreath and crown and not on the shoulders of any of his deputies or assistants. He has one task now that requires no budgetary support from the ministries of National Security and Finance. Commissioner Forbes must don his blue denim and begin to lead his men from the front as he works to improve the morale of the men and women of the JCF.
Dr. Peter Phillips has declared his interest in being the next President of the PNP. He therefore has no time to appear to be incapable of handling the Ministry of National Security. But unlike Mr. Forbes he has no blue denim to wear, but can only rely on the benevolence of the Minister of Finance to provide the US dollars to purchase the new ballistic testing machine and provide more resources for intelligence. But we should not forget that the Minister of Finance is also a candidate for the presidency of the PNP. So if it is not Peter Phillips and Francis Forbes, who then? The Minister of Finance is the best person to answer that.
Heather Robinson is a Life Underwriter and former Member of Parliament.