by Dr Neals J Chitan
Although specifically worded to peek the readers’ curiosity and interest, this caption was seriously meant to cause folks to read and think about what can happen if we are not careful how we handle our law enforcers.
Mandated to serve and protect, I have seen thousands of purpose-driven, passionate police officers who risk their safety and lives on a daily basis to do so. However, if we are honest, we will also concede that just like local communities with their thousands of law-abiding citizens, there are a few rogue elements whose behaviour and reactions can quickly create mayhem and unfairly cause a negative, distasteful profiling of both community and police.
As an international crime reduction consultant, let me firstly disclose my level of work or networking with or within police agencies across Canada, USA, UK, Africa and from Jamaica’s Constabulary Force in the north to Trinidad and Tobago Police Service in the south of the Caribbean, and the powerful positive impact we were able to achieve together. I admire and applaud the professionalism and quest for academic advancement and specialised training I see within the rank and file of Caribbean police agencies as they prepare themselves to more ably confront the rise in crime and violence we see across the region. However, we must sound the warning alarm against officers whose untamed anger and uncontrollable impulses can cause public rebuke to their comrades while causing a triangular impact of loss, hurt, grief and incarceration for the community, for their personal families and for themselves.
Recently, we have seen a rise in social media and mainstream media reporting of alleged misdemeanours and malpractices of police in several nations of the region, sparking mass demonstrations, shootouts, burnings and beatings, as the public administers its vigilante justice on law enforcement. Despite what may be seen as blatant injustice on the part of the police, it is crucial to let the law and justice take their course, remembering that despite training, in an instant, human tendencies, personal shortcomings and financial gain can impulsively overpower good judgement and cause tragedy.
And so, in our attempt to demand justice, it is imperative that despite the hurt and pain we feel that we responsibly and respectfully engage the various levels of administration and accountability, holding officers accountable for their action instead of unfairly castigating and maligning the good men and women in uniform on account of a few so-called “bad apples.” This attitude and action can have serious effects on the law enforcers, depleting the morale of police agencies, incapacitating them both psychologically and physically, while creating a nonchalant attitude to the safety of the public. When this happens, it swings the door to crime and violence wide open as police become less enthusiastic and more relaxed in public engagements.
With my work in community engagements with Toronto Police Service, I vividly remember when public demonstrations, rioting and vandalism occurred against the police and, in a counter-protest to the perceived unfair treatment of them, Toronto Police Services officers put down their weapons and patrolled for a week unarmed. Similarly, in London England in 2023, as protest and demonstrations around the 2022 shooting of 24-year-old black man Chris Kaba erupted against Metro Police, in an act of counter protest and support for their “perceived” unfairly accused colleague, London Police officers also put down their guns on patrol, thus creating what could have been a serious spike in criminal activity.
I, therefore, as a crime reduction specialist who stands for justice and fairness, and one who trains young men in the social skills of respect and responsibility, I too must add my voice and use whatever platform available to respectfully denounce injustice while holding perpetrators accountable and demanding their consequences. However, it will be massively counter productive to disrespectfully attack our police on account of the bad decisions and reactions of a few, thus damaging the psyche of our officers and putting them on the defensive when crime, violence and homicides are steeply on the incline and police need to be on top of their game to confront these societal plagues.
Remember, our police officers are our neighbours, friends, relatives, church family and our human brothers and sisters. They, too, are affected by individual, family and community issues, and although as trained professionals, we hold them to a higher standard of behaviour, as humans, they can misstep. I pray for our men and women in uniform as they do their duties of serving and protecting our nations, and ask of us tolerance, patience and appreciation even in times when justice is demanded.
Dr Neals Chitan is an International Social Skill Consultant and Crime Reduction Specialist who holds a PhD in Social and Behavioural Sciences and currently works in Grenada. He is the President/Founder of Motiv-8 For Change International, a Toronto-based Social Skill Agency, and can be reached from North America at 647-692-6330 and locally 473-416-8377 or at [email protected]
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