| “Those legally empowered to do so, must exercise circumspection when embarking upon these exercises, because persons have a right to privacy…” – Minister of Legal Affairs Anil NandlallBy: Kiana WilburgA senior Government official and members of the Opposition have expressed reservations about the use of wiretapping which is being touted as one of the strategies that will be enforced to address the surge in heinous crimes.The Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall stated that the interception of communication is an internationally recognized method which has been used to tackle crime in many situations across the world. But he has urged that absolute caution be taken with such “extraordinary powers.”“Indeed, more particularly, by first world countries, wiretapping is an internationally accepted truth. Further, as criminals use more sophisticated equipment and methods in committing crimes, it therefore becomes a fundamental requisite that crime fighting agencies utilize similarly sophisticated devices and methods to counter such criminal acts. And it is against this backdrop that one must view the interception of communication.”Aubrey NortonNandlall asserted that countries throughout the Caribbean have legislation which authorizes the relevant authorities to do so. “In Guyana,NFL Jerseys From China, we have also passed similar laws during the ninth Parliament. And, of course, those legally empowered to do so,China Jerseys Cheap, must exercise circumspection when embarking upon these exercises because persons have a right to privacy.”The Minister further stressed that such a power should not be abused.While former General Secretary of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, and A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Winston Felix, support Nandlall’s call for caution, they strongly believe that wiretapping and human intelligence, the proposed strategies of the Ministry of Home Affairs, are not the solutions to the recent crime wave.In fact, Norton is adamant that there is need for a more comprehensive response and that the core issues that are fuelling crime have to be addressed.Both Felix and Norton, held firm to the position, that in order to effectively deal with the latest upsurge in crime, there is need to increase the investigative capacity of the police force.This led Norton to conclude that one of the reasons crime is on the increase is that the rate of conviction of criminals is low and there are too many unsolved murders and other crimes. Criminals are therefore emboldened that their chances of being caught, much less convicted, are very slim.Moreover, “the police force needs to work on its community relations, and more importantly the link between some members of the police force and the criminal world needs to be broken. It is a serious issue and it is one that needs to be addressed and rectified. You cannot solve crime if the law enforcers are compromised and are themselves involved in crime as recent cases have illustrated.”Attorney General Anil NandlallAmong some of the core issues that need to be addressed, Norton said that the political control over the police force needs to be removed. “The police force has to be allowed to perform as a professional entity. The police force has been placed in a position where it has to prosecute some and turn a blind eye to those linked to power, be it political or economic”.Norton contends that crime could only be effectively dealt with if the police are allowed to enforce the law in an even handed way.“Clearly Policemen need increased salary, and, while this is no guarantee of better policing, at least, it is a good incentive to start with,wholesale jerseys,” expressed the political activist.He said that there are a number of things that must be done. Linked to the improvement of investigative capacity, is the need for the society to develop confidence in the police force and for the police to change its attitude and approach to dealing with the society.Further, the force needs training to help them change the approach of relying on most occasions, on force, and for them to learn how to tactfully combine force and influence based on the particular situation. Norton said “what this means is that the education system has to be improved to supply the police force with a better quality person who can be trained to become a police and practice new methods of policing. The police need to learn that they would not get cooperation by beating up people.”Norton said, “When the police are patrolling, they are seen as “hasslers” and not law enforcement officers. The police need to recognize they are enforcers of the law and not operate as if they are the law.”He contends as well that in order to deal with crime effectively, there is also a need to reduce the distribution of legal firearms and to put in place special measures to rid the society of illegal firearms. “You have a proliferation of people who are armed with weapons and that is something that needs to be dealt with. It must be put to an end.”“It is also evident that there has to be increased cooperation with bordering countries, especially Suriname.”Clearly crime in Guyana has taken on an extra territorial dimension and it cannot be dealt with by the Guyana police Force alone. It will demand cooperation among Guyana, Suriname,NFL Jerseys China, Venezuela, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago at minimum”.Winston FelixFelix expressed the view that, “the police force needs a crime intelligence system and not the nonsense that Rohee is suggesting as the solutions to the recent crime wave. The technical part of the intelligence he is referring to is a proven failure. With all the cameras the government has been installing about the place they have not been able to record any of these crimes that are committed within range. They have only been assisted by the recordings on the surveillance cameras of the civilians.”Like Norton, the Member of Parliament also stressed that the police force needs training. He said that from 1990 and onward,China NFL Jerseys, the force has been hemorrhaging in skilled investigators. “They left the force during that time and since then they have not been able to train officers especially those that are stationed in the Criminal Investigation Department.”Felix opined that in order to address the situation,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, it will take more than what is suggested by Minister Rohee.He added,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, “It is a combination of efforts coupled with recruiting and training the right people upon which work could be done.”Norton also said that “you have to deal with the scourge of drugs if the society is to deal with crime since crime is a spin- off of the drugs trade. He said that probably the singular issue that has to be dealt with if crime is to be surmounted is the creation of employment for the youth and for the establishment of institutions such as the National Service to give young people alternatives.”Norton also called for a reform to the prison system to make it more rehabilitative in nature and for an end to the approach of dumping young people in the lock ups even when they are not involved in crime. |
