While the Police Service Social and Welfare Association supports the new armoured personnel carriers (APCs), it wants to be assured there will be proper compensation, terms and conditions for the police, as it remains unclear whether the Police Service will take charge of the vehicles, says the association’s secretary Insp Michael Seales. National Security Minister Gary Griffith said he intended to bring in six such vehicles.
He said when the issue was first raised some time ago, it was unclear whether the vehicles would be given to the police or the Defence Force. And to date that question has not been resolved. Notwithstanding, Seales called on members of the public to appreciate the need for the vehicles before jumping to hasty conclusions. He said the idea was not to intimidate but rather to protect the lives of the police and citizens.
“We must take a mature approach to law enforcement. In an immature approach, one would easily conclude the vehicles are simply a show of force. “We need to take decisive action to fight crime, because almost on a daily basis officers come under heavy fire when they go in ‘hot spot’ areas, and the weapons criminals use are of a higher calibre than before.”
He described the purchase as “not an ordinary one,” because a lot of money had to be spent, which should be matched by training and proper compensation for the police. Contacted yesterday, president of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (Doma), Gregory Aboud, said members of the public and the business community were not really in a position to question the judgment of the National Security Ministry or the protective services in matters such as these.
“Where we are able to express our opinion is in the area of the perceived escalation of danger, which seems to be the reason for the purchase of such sophisticated equipment. “Perhaps it is safe to assume that our country is becoming so violent and so lawless that we now feel it necessary to purchase equipment which has previously only been seen in the theatre of war and in anti-terrorist operations,” Aboud said.
He said valid questions would arise in the society as to why this was allowed to happen. “In the weeks and months ahead it will become necessary for the country to understand exactly what is happening to us and whether or not our problems are going to be solved by expenditure such as these,” Aboud added.