THE MEN AND WOMEN of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) deserve national commendation for the exceptional work they have been doing in response to the recent and clearly persistent upsurge in crime, particularly violent crime.
We do not believe there can be many law-abiding Barbadians who have not felt some measure of unease as a result of the crime situation, particularly those acts that have ended with a loss of life – regardless of the circumstances.
What is also becoming increasingly apparent is the growing sense of ease with which some members of our society will resort to deadly violence to settle their issues, including the protection of their illegal activity.
Under the circumstances, the men and women of the police force find themselves literally and figuratively on the firing line every day, and therefore deserve nothing less than the full support of Barbadians. It also cannot be accepted social behaviour for any member of our community to regard the job of the police generally as unworthy of support because of the unacceptable conduct of any one member of the organisation.
While we do not have the scientifically obtained data to corroborate our point, we can’t help but get the impression that when compared with other jurisdictions, some of them not very far away, the RBPF has an enviable record when it comes to clearing murders.
We believe that this achievement could be even better if more Barbadians were willing to demonstrate that they are really the eyes and ears of the community and they are not prepared to turn their backs to wrongdoing. Neglecting civic responsibility on the basis that one fears reprisal only contributes to a state where there is even greater reason to fear the retribution of the criminally minded.
History shows that criminals are emboldened when they believe they have gotten away with murder, literally and figuratively, and when crimes of violence go unresolved that is precisely what happens.
In any society where members believe their chances of being held accountable for their infractions are slim they will become more inclined to perpetrate crimes against anyone they regard as weaker. When we have a gas station, for instance, being held up by armed men repeatedly, a major contributing factor has to be the belief that those who went before them got away with it.
By the same token, every time a miscreant among us shoots and is not called to account, or stabs another and believes he is untouchable, not only is he emboldened to do it again, but others will also share that view. And when it comes to our young people we ought to be very careful that we don’t create a generation of citizens who have become desensitised to violence largely because they have learnt not to fear consequences simply because the imposition carries a low probability rate.
