THE increase in violent criminal activities in our communities is directly related to the reluctance/failure/refusal within communities to face down the criminals. There seems to be a growing belief that only the rich are targets of criminals. Residents need to rethink that position because the ‘non-rich’ have been victims of rape, injury and even killings – for no sane reason – at the hands of criminals. Sadly, however, most communities feel that the police will be everywhere and are sufficient and capable of protecting them. We could not be more stupid. And when the police respond late to a crime report or a crime scene, as they mostly do, the wrath of the community bears down on them; some justified; some not.
In communities where there are policing groups, victims of robberies, etc have asked: Where was the Policing Group? I have a few questions for those people:
* Do you pay the members of the Community Policing Group (CPG)?
* Are you a member of your community’s Policing Group? If not, why?
* Are you conscious that those active members of CPGs who patrol or keep watch in your community do so on a voluntary basis and place themselves at risk while you sleep?
* Shouldn’t you be assisting to ensure that your family and your community are safe from criminals from both within and without?
I am very confident that 99 per cent of a community depends on one per cent of that community to do the ‘dog work’ while they do nothing but criticise. I attribute that to stupidity or cowardice, or both. Most rural communities have at most about 15 miscreants. How can a community of 5,000 allow 15 persons to terrorise a whole community? That community has to be sick.
Identify the criminal elements in your midst to the police (at least to those ranks you can trust); become part of a broad-based, united group and let the criminals know that they are under surveillance and that the community will challenge their bullyism.
But why is that not happening, notwithstanding that the Ministry of Home Affairs has made available resources: vehicles, weapons, etc and related agencies have assured support for CPGs? And it is here that I want to concede that there does exist reasons for the apprehensiveness in the larger community to be more active:
* While the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs provides considerable resource support to CPGs, some of these resources are being misused;
* There is lukewarm support for CPGs by certain members of the Police Force. Many  subordinate officers at stations treat RCs with disdain and some RCs have even been charged without recourse to the requirements of the Police Force Orders. RCs are therefore afraid to confront situations on the ground. Very often the police believe the arrested person instead of those making the arrest.
* Fund-raising in communities notwithstanding, the cost of maintenance of and fuel for the CPG vehicles should be subsidised. Currently these are being borne by those who are active in CPGs and who are already contributing enough. This is a terrible disincentive.
* Leadership of some CPGs is lacking. Many CPGs are inactive and greater effort must be made centrally to resuscitate dormant groups and to ensure that active groups are receiving needed support.
* Criminals receive clandestine support and protection from some members of communities. In fact, some residents live off the blood booty of their criminal relatives/friends.
I have journeyed through the foregoing because I consider it necessary to put the caption in some perspective. However, I still feel very strongly that every resident or household in a community needs to accept that they are as safe as they help to make themselves safe. As individuals we will be targeted one by one. As a collective we can target ALL of the criminal elements in our community.
I truly hope we have the fortitude to do so.