Community involvement vs crime

Our community is not immune to criminal acts by career criminals or persons that prey on the law-abiding citizens who are just struggling to deal with our daily needs to survive the onslaught of present-day economic hardship. When one robs a church (the house of God), I think this tells us that we have a major social breakdown that requires the joint and supportive effort of the caring people of these islands. Putting police officers in every corner of the islands has been the modus operandi for years. In other words, we take charge of a defensive strategy to curb the increase of crimes against law-abiding citizens. The fact is crimes are still a social problem that needs to be addressed. If we are a utopian society, citizens can expect zero crime, but as you know this is impossible. Fighting crime is not just the job of the Department of Public Safety. This department could not singly tackle all the crime fighting strategies and efforts. So, what is the Department of Public Safety’s defensive and offensive plan of action on crime fighting at the community level?

The old adage suggests that “if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain.” This appears to be key to the crime fighting momentum that should be considered.  I am talking about an offensive undertaking. If we are able to instill in the minds of citizens their partial involvement in crime fighting, isn’t that a sustainable way for this purpose? People fail and hesitate to be involved out of ignorance and fear of consequences, particularly matters involving criminal issues. So, the best way to do this is to actually teach people about police work and how concerned citizens could be made the gatekeepers of crime fighting by owning their impact on crime prevention and optimum involvement of the Department of Public Safety. In this way, the Department of Public Safety must devise creative and innovative strategies. The work is actually simpler to implement than the usual defensive mobility of human resources and reactive positioning.

If the Department of Public Safety could organize and set up programs and plans using the existing expertise of trusted personnel, the department would be in a better position to invite the public to amass a huge offensive against crime. This in essence places the Department of Public Safety closer to where the crime venues are causing social deterioration. I think a “Citizen Crime Fighting Academy” would work as an offensive strategy. This academy, if set up and organized well, would be one perpetual movement that the department could rollover year after year with good results. The Academy would be positioned to teach the citizenry about law enforcement issues. Subjects would include crime prevention, fingerprinting technology and laboratory, vehicle pursuits, defensive tactics, firearms, narcotics, Crime Stoppers unit, witness observation, crime scene preservation, K-9 unit, crime investigation, and court proceedings, and other useful subject.

If we are able to consider options like this, it would certainly be a great help to the Department of Public Safety. Otherwise, the police commissioner should let us know what programs are being used, or if this suggestion is worth the effort, if not already being implemented. An offensive strategy is just as effective and efficient, if not better, because in most cases it only requires a thoughtful plan performed by existing personnel who are creative and innovative enough to see a different way outside of the status quo.