It is unfortunate that when Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce speaks these days, his words inspire little confidence in the blogmaster. The reason: last year, on Kadooment Day, a uniformed policeman slapped a civilian. Boyce said he would investigate and report the outcome. One year later, the public is no wiser.
There is no need to be prolix about the importance of the Barbados Police Service (BPS) nurturing public trust—especially during a crime wave. The fact that Boyce felt comfortable issuing a broken promise does not augur well for him or the BPS in fostering a culture of openness and trust.
Another worrying observation is the supine approach of the fourth estate AND the so-called social media influencers, given the lack of probing of Boyce on this matter. One wonders how a Commissioner of Police can be allowed the comfort to promise an investigation and report on a slapping incident captured on video—then, one year later, feel no obligation to deliver. The blogmaster was raised to believe that a man must honour his word if he wants to be taken seriously.
It is obvious to the blogmaster that Commissioner Boyce’s laid-back style may not be the best leadership approach in the current environment. As they say, the tone must be set from the top; otherwise, the criminal element will remain neither intimidated nor deterred by current policing interventions.
See the latest crime stats as reported by Amit on barbadoscrimeblog.
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