To tell the truth, this Stabroek News headline, “Benn urges introspection, accountability in police force,” must be the most self-evident observation made by someone with half a brain. Therefore, with this self-evident observation assimilated, meant the content of the lengthy article, was next to endure. But unsurprisingly, the article offered an excruciating read, a predictable gutted disappointment, with Robeson Benn, limited by a toddler’s level vocabulary, sharing this poorly grammatically constructed perspective with the police hierarchy.
“…police commanders and others who find themselves in authority mustn’t think that arriving at the job that they need to award and reward themselves and to walk around with plenty gold and diamonds around the neck and the fingers. If they have that, it means they are men who could be bought. I can buy you because that’s what you like. And you flaunt it. It must stop.”
Now, having perused this most poorly articulated utterance by the installed Minister, meant the emotions arisen were conflicting, not certain whether to laugh out loud or cry, in equal measure. For what Robeson Benn proffered far exceeded the realm of brainlessness, rather were more at the extreme of asinine. Since as would be recognised by any who is cognitively inclined, being adorned with an abundance of jewellery, has absolutely no relationship with the propensity to indulge in corruption. In fact, if such a correlation exists, the kleptocrats who populate PPP, would’ve been embellished with much nuchal jewellery, such that standing erect would’ve been an impossible undertaking.
Having said that, corruption whether in the public service, police force or political office, represents a very complex socioeconomic and cultural phenomenon. For what can’t be denied is, the police, and the entire discipline services as a matter of fact, are monthly rewarded pittance. Thus, considering this undisputed reality, the conclusion has to be, pittance remuneration is one of the driving forces underpinning both petty and grand corruption, in our uniform personnel. Moreover, again underpinned by pittance remuneration, is bribe acceptance vis-à-vis petty corruption, which has become so engrained, that it has transitioned our societal culture. So much so, that when the police stop an innocent driver, oftentimes without justification, the driver automatically assumes that they’ve to part with a bribe, even when they aren’t guilty of a traffic infraction.
But even as the news piece was further perused, obvious was the realisation, that Robeson Benn, was likely overcome by some very potent street hallucinogen. For how else one can rationalise this brainless assertion,
“It’s true that we have reduced crime by 20% serious crime by 20% for a number of years. I think it’s almost a third or fourth year running that we reduced it by about 20% every year”
In fact, considering Benn’s incoherent remark, if one is to undertake random surveys on crime, as other police forces do, the vast majority of those surveyed would be of the opinion, crimes both serious and petty, have been exponentially increasing.
However, these apparent successive crime decreases, as articulated by Robeson Benn, is nothing short of a disingenuous Houdini illusion. Since under this corrupt PPP, a crime is only registered as a crime, after it has been successfully prosecuted in the courts. But the reality is, the police investigatory capacity is severely limited, resulting in many serious crimes not being prosecuted, down to missed, misplaced or stolen evidence. Moreover, with cases in the judiciary at a bottleneck, means prosecution is limited, giving the false perception of crimes decreasing.
In fact, if the police are to register crimes as they should be, at the point of reporting, then unambiguous it will be that all crimes are increasing, which is evident by the increasing number of prisoners on remand. Thus, it’s for this reason, many may argue, it’s long overdue, that crime statistics should be informed by cases reported, along with community surveys, rather than cases successfully prosecuted.
