As eyes were riveted to the ‘suicide pandemic’ that seems to have hit the country, with the allegations of a Mafia being at work and a death squadron at play, a seemingly innocuous revelation was made in parliament on Tuesday: the police budget was curtailed and that of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit was reduced from Rs287 to Rs253 million! A very bad signal sent to our police force.

The reason given is the economic situation. Admittedly, our economy is dire and it is almost comforting to finally hear the prime minister admit that. But there are a number of things we could easily have cut down on without harming the country: ministers’ salaries, their outrageous, unwarranted allowances which are a mere disguised way at increasing their salaries, the waste of public funds through juicy contracts shrouded in total opacity and which the taxpayer has to pay for, the recruitment of more public servants at a time when many other countries are cutting down, electoral promises we can’t afford…We could also close down many parastatals which have become guzzlers of taxpayers’ money and send the incompetent roder boutes at their heads to grass. Equally, we could stop punching above our weight and avoid inane expenses like the Rs400 million to Liverpool, which has brought us absolutely nothing in return. Instead, we chose to reduce an already impoverished police force to a starved one at a time when we need it most.

I understand that the police right now do not have a good public image and will probably not get much sympathy even if their budget were halved. Our police officers are increasingly being viewed as at best warriors and enforcers, not guardians. At worst, they are seen as spineless puppets in the hands of the government, particularly the prime minister. That view is supported by a number of incidents like landing at innocent and law-abiding citizens’ homes at ungodly hours and taking them kicking and screaming to the Line Barracks where all sorts of tricks are used to keep them overnight, just because they ‘annoyed’ those in power. The police force will have a very hard time changing that image and building itself the reputation of being a supporter of peace and safety in the community. And sadly, the way the police treated the recent cases of ‘suicide’ has not helped the perception the public has of them.

The problem I have is that this little public confidence and trust in law enforcement is based on a gross overgeneralisation. There are many good men and women out there who mean well and still have a sense of ethics and integrity but who are working in absolutely terrible conditions. Visit any police station and you will find yourself in a totally different country far from the one of Safe City, Côte d’Or and the tramway. Try to give a statement and you are sent reeling back to the Middle Ages where a police officer, using a pen and carbon paper from another era takes hours recording your words. The sight of even the most basic computer is such a rarity. As for training, let’s not even go there. I have been to the Line Barracks often enough to get to see some honest men and women, terrified beyond their wits but still trying to do the right thing.

Naturally, many of these officers are demotivated by the lack of facilities, training and autonomy and by the fact that they are reduced to doing what it takes to please those in power rather than being encouraged to deal with serious and organised crime and holding individuals accountable for violating the law. By curtailing their budget, the signal being sent is that their work is not appreciated and that areas like training and resources are going to be hard hit. This is completely incongruous with the crime situation in the country which, according to the government’s own statistics, has never been as bad. It is the wrong move at the most inopportune time!