SOME OF THE solutions to concerns about crime in this society have already been documented, says former Commissioner of Police Orville Durant.
And he is urging Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite to look at the National Commission on Law and Order report which was submitted in 2004.
Durant made the observation as he spoke at the National Task Force on Crime Prevention’s public lecture on The Role Of Communities In The Governance Of Crime, recently at Grand Barbados.
The lecture was presented by University of the West Indies Director of Security Services, Oral Reid.
“The public is accustomed to these sessions but they don’t seem to be able to get the leadership which helps them to deal with the problems in the society. So all the questions about fear; fear is a lack of confidence pure and simple. If you don’t have any confidence in the system to protect you and to support you; fear emerges,” said Durant.
Durant, who was top cop from 1982 to 1995, said the commission went to every district and heard the problems of the people.
Recommendations
“We also had excellent presentations from the community. Those who attended made excellent recommendations and suggestions as to how we should deal with the matter.”
He said the suggestions were analysed by the members of the commission with the community getting paramount importance.
Durant also said that he did not think the report was being considered nationally.
“I don’t think it was ever presented for public consumption and we [are] all very disapppointed because we all made some recommendations following very much the line that you put tonight.
“We went further, emphasing the role of the community at every stage of the recommendation because whatever was being done was being done for the community.”
Durant is also calling on the Attorney General “to look at that report and see whether . . . there is anything that can be done about [it] and the recommendations that have been made”.
“I think the attorney general should always have an advisory committee which helps him to grasp fully what is happening in society to make further recommendations.
“So that between that committee and the Task force which is essentially a research body as I understand it – we ought to be able as a community [to] come up with the kind of recommendations which would considerably improve our handling of the situation.” (JS)
