PM Golding Wants to Raise Level of Public Confidence in the Police

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding says he wants to raise the level of confidence that the public has in the police, and names a number of steps the Government intends to take toward this end.
Speaking in an interview on CVM television’s programme, ‘Direct’, earlier this week, he said: “We are going to enact into law some of the provisions of the political code, where they involve conduct and particularly where they involve the authoritative intervention of the Political Ombudsman.”
“We’re going to make some of those transgressions, which now command only the reprimand of the Political Ombudsman and the exposure of the media, become the basis on which people can be impeached and for which people can be barred from being elected,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that the Independent Investigative Authority, which was a critical plank of his election campaign, will be the subject of legislation and will replace the Bureau of Investigation. He disclosed that work on that legislation is now well advanced.
While expressing some dissatisfaction with the results that his administration is getting in relation to crime and violence in the country, Mr. Golding acknowledged that the Government is constrained by a lack of resources.
He said the situation demanded a national effort and that the co-operation of the Opposition was required in carrying out certain of the recommendations of the Strategic Review. One of these is the amalgamation of the Police Services Commission and the Police Civilian Authority.
Mr. Golding said that a meeting was held with the Opposition Leader the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, to discuss this step and that a consultant has been engaged to assist with the process.