THE REMOVAL OF Darwin Dottin as Commissioner of Police by the Police Service Commission (PSC) “in the public interest” with immediate effect should be of major concern to every Barbadian, given the implications of this action on the force he led for nearly ten years and the community at large.
This unprecedented move by the PSC could cause a major rift in the ranks of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) by creating an air of uncertainty among personnel as each wonders what is going to happen next. This apprehension would negatively affect morale and could lead to serious consequences for the security of all citizens.
I am not being alarmist – just realistic.
Writing as I am on Monday evening, moments after the news broke of the PSC’s action, Dottin’s reaction is not known. But even if he got an injunction yesterday to put a hold on the move, the damage to the integrity of the force has already been done. An uneasy truce will follow and real progress stymied.If by today Dottin has not mounted a legal challenge, or not succeeded in the one he did, Assistant Commissioner Tyrone Griffith, whom the PSC has appointed to act as interim RBPF boss, would have taken over. He must quickly gain the confidence of his management team and the ranks as he seeks to lead the force through this turbulent period.
His will not be an easy task because whenever drastic action occurs – such as the sudden axing of an organization’s head – turmoil follows as staff usually react with disbelief, shock and anxiety.
Since the work environment affects the way people perform their day-to-day duties,a period of healing would then be needed to reassure them. However, in the interim, it will be difficult.
No less can be expected from police personnel. After all, they’re only human.
Then there is the management structure of the organization and how efficiently it can function after such an amputation (or attempted one).
Thankfully, the quasi-military nature of the Police Force – where discipline, rank and orders are integral to its functioning –?should help personnel focus on the job at hand.
There will be some who would have supported Dottin’s leadership and would be unhappy with the way he has departed. This is only natural.
However, all right-thinking Barbadians should wish Griffith well as he takes over a force that must be immediately mobilized to police this country’s greatest security challenge, the Crop Over Festival.
At this time of turmoil in the Police Force, we can at least take heart in the fact that it has been doing a good job through the years by any measure.
Indeed, as recently as last week Tuesday in the House of Assembly, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Minister of Home Affairs Adriel Brathwaite heaped praise on the force for achieving a reduction in crime.
These were no idle accolades and the RBPF ranks, who have been labouring under difficult circumstances for decades, should be commended for their effort.
Of course, one could ask what happened between then and Monday which triggered the PSC to dismiss Dottin? Surely some explanation should be forthcoming from Stuart and/or Brathwaite on this matter, given their praise for the force, because its successes cannot be divorced from its management under Dottin.
RBPF members need now, more than ever, to get on with the job of ensuring the safety of Barbadians and leave the legal wrangle that is sure to happen for the law courts to decide.
QEH safe to visit
BARBADIANS NEED NOT fear visiting the Queen Elizabeth Hospital because of the ongoing challenge there with the drug-resistant klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria.
Since the Pan American Health Organization expert team came in April, assessed the problem and made recommendations, every effort has been under way to manage this situation effectively.
Of course, it is understandable for there to be apprehension about visiting the hospital at this time; that is why guidelines were recently issued on this.
The hospital has asked the public “to use hand sanitizers before and after seeing patients; observe the policy of two visitors to a bed; refrain from sitting on the patient’s bed or putting their bag or personal effects on the bed because germs can be transferred from clothing and hand bags. Most importantly, if visitors are not feeling well they are advised to postpone their visit until they feel better”.
As for the hospital administration, they should give serious thought to issuing fortnightly updates on this team’s work to keep the public informed of its progress.
A better informed public should lead to greater understanding and less panic when issues like these are discussed.
• Sanka Price is a NATION editor. Email him at [email protected].
