Is the government aiding criminal activities?

By JP

I found it aberrant that in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, at a time when crime continues to threaten our peace and raise concerns for all citizens, the government could be so assuasive on criminals or their actions. Or maybe my line of reasoning is already flawed since the definition of criminal might not be applicable to the group of people who I wish to discuss. Nonetheless, it would, I hope, bring my concern to the fore and raise alerts as to the kind of habitudes condoned by the relevant authorities.

It has been brought to my attention, the alarming number of schools that have been broken into at nights, allegedly by some of the very persons who are being paid to discourage or ward off people from doing exactly the same.

Many principals have been venting their frustrations on returning to the schools on mornings only to find bolts and locks tampered with to the point of uselessness.

The classrooms are not bedrooms, nor are they watchmen’s booths. The people who are entrusted with the responsibility to guard the schools are not only men. Women also make up this workforce, and when they are working, on many occasions, they are accompanied by their male companions and vice versa. Whether this accompaniment of their partners has something to do with the need to seek privacy within the walls of classrooms, I am not sure. The same uncertainty surrounds persons other than the workers being on the compound for prolonged period of time, although I believe this has its exceptions.

The supervisors for these workers have been made aware of the situation, and it would appear that nothing or little is being done about it. On any given day, a person breaking and entering any public building, once seen, would be reported to the police and subsequently be arrested. While these watchmen might not be committing burglary, they are indeed breaking and entering, an action that constitute a chargeable offense under our laws. We should not tolerate such attitude and actions. To still have such persons on the government’s payroll is inconceivable.

To say something should or needs be done about it, is really an understatement. The replacement of these locks and bolts might not cost us a fortune but the message behind such tolerance is detrimental to our fight against crime and a shame to our general values as a society.

Crime or semblance of it should never be seen as OK, regardless of the colour of sunglasses or any other glasses one is viewing it from. The proper and rightful upkeep of this society cannot and would not be achieved with people of this calibre on the nation’s payroll. There is no excuse for such behaviour. While government and the private sector do not operate the same, one expects certain common principles to be upheld. My reason for making such a statement is that it is rather easy for persons to feign ignorance of such happenings, but in the private sector this would not be tolerated.

We should give no consideration to the quandaries of these people before they are relieved of their duties. As a matter of fact, their actions and lack of respect and understanding of their jobs only exemplify why they are unfit for this particular job. Hence, their temerity to whine only quantifies their inefficiency and unsuitability for such a responsibility. They need civic education before they are given such an obligation.

The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the opinions or editorial position of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].

The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].