| By Dale Andrews A lot has been said by the Ministry of Home Affairs about police reform, but strangely enough nothing much (if anything) has been made public about the reforms envisaged by the administration of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).The foregoing statement is mentioned against the background of my previous article on 01/29 “Police reform in serious trouble”, which indicates that institutional resistance at senior levels is likely to thwart efforts to make the police more accountable and professional.This article intends to examine the concept of police reform and the attendant characteristics of this desirable state, as well the keys to its sustainability, and the resistance factors which make police reform collapse.Certain words which are peculiar to local law enforcement usage have been substituted when practical, by those terms with which readers may be more familiar e.g. Commissioner replaces chief etc.A perusal of the online version of the Force’s current five-year Strategic Plan (SP) would reveal that the document does not reflect any major preoccupation with reform.As a matter of fact, the SP is more focused on core operational functions and not any measurable indicators of success in the Force’s endeavour to reform. In other words there is a curious lack of public information which speaks to what the GPF will look like, and further, how its rank and file will be expected to behave and operate while ushering in a new culture of professionalism, accountability and respect for the human rights of victims and suspects alike. For institutionalization of police reform to occur, there must be demonstrated sustained commitment to the reform.The foregoing is not intended to suggest that the police administration does not know what it wants; the problem might be in knowing the means, or having the resources to realize its expectations. However, noticeably absent is a coalescence of the various qualitative deliverables into a cogent, coherent, and compelling image that is consonant with the expectations of the people.The GPF needs to make known its vision for the future safety and security of the people, and what is being done to reach that state. Also the Force administration needs to adopt a mindset which is unafraid to share its concerns,NCAA Hockey Jerseys, and the challenges inherent in that organization reforming itself. In other words, in the same manner that the community policing concept has taken root as a complementary tool to traditional incident -driven methods of policing, the GPF must recognize that it does not possess all the answers in its modernisation thrust.A review of the literature unearthed several facts that are not necessarily outside of the collective experience in the premier law enforcement body. Therefore the findings of any probe of the causes for the apparent disconnect between public rhetoric and actions on the reform issue, would make for an interesting analysis. Wesley G. Skogan writing in Policing & Society (Vol. 18,Wholesale Authentic NFL Jerseys, No. 1, March 2008), recognizes that “Police reform is risky and hard, and efforts to innovate in policing often fall short of expectations.”In Making Police Reforms Endure: The Keys for Success, Ikerd and Walker (2010) posit that in addition to being a major challenge facing police today, institutionalization of police reform is possible “when certain norms, values, and structures are incorporated into an organization…when the reform becomes a way of regularly conducting police business.”This raises the question of whether the GPF has been doing all that it possibly could to ensure that all of the above is disseminated effectively across the rank and file in all police divisions. It stands to reason that despite the best of efforts and abundant resources, any proposed programme of reform in an environment lacking sustained commitment will be doomed to failure.Skogan (op cit) posits that because the various innovations in policing are widely accepted, the impression could be gained that reform is easily achieved. However, he cautions that “…the political risks involved are considerable, and efforts to change the police often fall far short or fail” a comment which raises the spectre of political will and the willingness to facilitate police reform.Ikerd and Walker in emphasising the importance of understanding police culture argue that if deficiencies exist in any of the three areas of members’ attitudes, knowledge and behaviour with respect to reform, the prospect of institutionalization is very low. This, they add, is aggravated if “officer and organizational buy-in is not obtained.”Recent public comments out of the Ministry of Home Affairs suggest that this is part of the growing problem of internal resistance to the GPF evolving into a modern universally respected institution. Ideally an organization should be positioned to measure its level of commitment to, and the pace of implementing its reform programme. However,Brett Hull Red Wings Jersey, the organizational development literature has largely ignored the “process of institutionalizing police reform and the process of how planned changes become institutionalized.”Writing on Challenges in Police Reform: Promoting Effectiveness and Accountability Dr. Charles T. Call points out that “Working with senior officials often means they are steeped in prior doctrines rarely characterized by transparency or accountability.”(2003) It is incumbent upon the GPF to divest itself of the unhelpful mindset of insularity in which it finds itself if it is to save face in the present circumstances. One way of alleviating the stress of collaboration is to have a realistic determination of which governmental and non-governmental organisations can best assist in capacity development while providing the necessary leadership and cooperation. At the same time expanded involvement could serve to defuse the hostility that is shown to groupings which may at times consider it their duty to criticize police performance.Among the causal factors cited for reform failure,Arizona Diamondbacks Gregor Blanco Jersey, Skogan identifies a few which severally or collectively might resonate with GPF reform watchers. Interestingly enough,Nike NFL Jerseys China, the keywords in that article are “Innovation; Reform; Resistance; Misconduct; (and) Leadership.” The author summarises the obstacles to police reform in 11 categories some of which are attributable to the “career and bureaucratic interests and managerial outlook” of internal stakeholders.We will examine 10 of those briefly since the one related to police unions is not applicable in the Guyana context. Others stem from the difficulties intrinsic in “interagency coordination,NFL Jerseys Discount, the competing demands of differing constituencies, and the inability of the police to measure their success in the absence of a profit-and-loss statement.” On the external front are “community and political forces that can stymie change as well.” This last makes the case for structured formal and informal collaborative arrangements whose success indicators are measurable against publicly stated engagement objectives. (To be continued next week) |
