What really is the value of a law if it is not enforced? That probably is the one question that is at the heart of all our issues on this wonderful small island of ours.
The Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all are operating within the confines of our local legislated requirements.
Of late, we can admit, the RSLPF has been noticeably active in their effort to run down perpetrators of major crimes and individuals associated with criminal activity generally. While we can all agree that the RSLPF is on the right trajectory we may also concur that it may not be enough, bearing in mind the gravity of our current crime situation.
We have, in the past, dealt with the issue of enforcement but it warrants a second look.
It is feared that law enforcement is commonly and erroneously only seen as valuable when it actually involves murder, physical assault, rape and the likes. What then of those crimes that do not fall into that category? The little ones that seem to ‘fracture,’ as some would say, and not break any major law? The fact is the violation of the law is a crime, however small. If it is true that ‘the little infringements usually lead to the big crimes’ then we must place the required energies and resources on urgently dealing with those so-called little crimes of which we have many.
Of late, illegal parking, unbearably bright vehicle lights at night, indiscriminate disposal of garbage, underage drinking, students loitering in Castries, vehicles blaring deafeningly loud music, and racetrack-like speeds on the island’s roads, have all taken a turn for the worse. Intense focus on issues like these may be what is required to salvage a liveable St. Lucia.
The RSLPF has reportedly been talking about the issue of excessively bright aftermarket lights on vehicles. Bravo.
While we are talking about law enforcement one cannot help but mention the growing lack of respect for the police and consequently the law. Over the last few years, law enforcement officers have stumbled into an environment that has increasingly made their jobs more difficult. It is believed, however, that this downward spiral is partly their own doing and will require a personnel clean-up to restore their good name.
It makes perfect sense that the restoration of the respectability of the police, the focus on the many ‘little crimes’ coupled with the continued intense run down of perpetrators of heinous crimes is the required remedy for our current state.
The question then is, are we willing and committed to see a lasting resolution to this societal ailment? This concept also involves a very close look at those who are complicit in matters of crime as well as those who quietly benefit from it, a discussion that may be for another time.
Assassinated United States Senator, lawyer and American politician Robert Kennedy once said “Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on”.