The arrest and charges laid against a member of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) for the theft of critical exhibits under the control of the lawmen did not surprise anyone in this country.

If there was any surprise it had to do with the fact that the police managed to make a breakthrough in the case and apprehended one of their own for the crime.

The people had long suspected and concluded that it was an inside job when news first broke in this newspaper that illegal drugs, money and a gun in police custody had disappeared from their watch. No one really believed that a civilian had ventured into the police domain and removed the stolen items.

GRENADA TODAY would like to suggest to Police Commissioner, Winston James that an internal unit with the most trusted and competent officers be set up to monitor the activities of police officers especially the lifestyles of some of them.

The information from inside the force seems to suggest that many officers are living beyond their means and not in keeping with their true monthly salaries.

There is talk of some officers renting vehicles on a regular basis especially on weekends and having more than a good time where pleasure is concerned. It is obvious that if officers are known to be engaged in this kind of activity then the red flag should be raised.

The establishment of a Special Unit within the Police Force to monitor and investigate the activities and behaviour of members should be given top priority by the High Command. It might be argued that there is already in existence a Special Branch Unit with RGPF and that body should be given the responsibility to carry out that function.

We have our own suspicions about the current Special Branch unit because of the politics that crept into the force in recent years. Several officers were removed from the Special Branch on allegations that they might be sympathetic to the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

These officers were replaced by colleagues suspected to be aligned to the ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister and “Senior” Minister of National Security, Dr. Keith Mitchell.

This Special Branch cannot be trusted with carrying out a truly independent and impartial investigation into some of their own. And it is not uncommon to hear reports of members of the Special Branch deliberately submitting certain reports to the High Command for fear of falling out and feeling the wrath of the Political Directorate.

We know of instances where Special Branch Officers are asked to report on the political activities of particular constituencies in order to serve as a guide to the ruling party.

The consensus reached by a member of the unit is that Health Minister Ann David-Antoine would be beaten not only in the next elections but also the one after that by the current holder of the seat, Glynnis Roberts of the main opposition NDC party.

The information that this particular officer is getting on “the ground” is that the Health Minister is very unpopular in the constituency but he is afraid to put this in his report for fear of being branded as a member of Congress.

He is prepared to survive in the job by submitting reports he knows would not upset certain people in high and powerful offices that can affect his career in the force.
This is the precise reason why this newspaper would not want to rely on the current Special Branch to investigate the activities of officers with a big question mark on their names.

Added to that is the fact that the Special Branch is charged with the responsibility of vetting persons who apply to enter the force and to sit regular examinations. These police officers who can be put into the category of “bad eggs” managed to slip through the cracks and become full-fledged members of the force.

As a longstanding and very much respected member of the force, the Acting Commissioner James has an opportunity to leave a legacy behind by taking the right steps to clean out the stall before he makes his departure whether this year or whenever.

The country is closely looking at this Commissioner to see what he might do in terms of weeding out from within the ranks those officers who are involved in drugs and other illegal activities, as well as offering protection from those running the Underworld of Crimes in Grenada. As one drug baron told us a few years ago: “You cannot expect to run a successful business here if you don’t have the police on your side”.