Deputy Commissioner of Police John Rolle made this charge during the police’s Inspectors Day Away event on Wednesday.
He told the assembled officers that discipline within the organisation has sunken to a “disgraceful and shameful low.”
“Without immediate and decisive intervention on your part to ensure that the policies and guidelines are adhered to by those whom you manage, we stand on the brink of lawlessness and anarchy,” he said.
Mr Rolle said that he would ensure that this does not happen under his watch.
“We must protect and preserve the rich legacy that we have inherited. I trust that as you leave this place today, you return to your various divisions with a renewed commitment to ensure that you do whatever is in your power to salvage what is left of a once proud and noble institution,” he said.
Mr Rolle told the officers that if they wish to carry out their duties effectively and efficiently they must have their fingers on the “pulse of activities in your division and demonstrate the ability to manage and influence your subordinates in a positive manner.”
“As you are aware, your position was not given to you merely as decoration, or for you to strut around like some peacock lost in wonderland – but each man, inclusive your female counterpart, must man your post and ensure that the fundamental principles upon which this organisation has survived for the past 160 years is not compromised,” he said.
Speaking with The Tribune yesterday, Minister of National Security Cynthia Pratt said she supports the deputy commissioner’s,, quest to enforce discipline in the police force.
“We are in the business of upholding the law, and there have been cases where officers have bent and gone around the law, but that cannot be. Police officers cannot act above the law,” she said.
By KARIN HERIG, Tribune Staff Reporter
