PERHAPS IT was inevitable that charges and counter-charges from the public, members of the Police Force and to a lesser extent Government officials would begin to play out in the public domain given the seemingly intractable crisis the country faces in fighting crime.

Monday's unprecedented statement from the Police Officers Association (POA) in which its members laid bare the chronic shortages affecting the Jamaica Constabulary Force, should be treated with seriousness. This is not just an attempt at deflecting blame or defending their chief, the Police Commissioner, who has come under public pressure in more recent times, given the spiralling crime rate. In effect the police officers are saying they have been given baskets to carry water.

Indeed the POA noted that not only have they not been given the requested funds needed to do their jobs, but that even that which has been allocated is reduced on a monthly basis. The complaints listed by the POA include a shortage of motor vehicles and motorcycles, protective gear and even uniforms. The net result is what the POA labels "a significant undermining of operational capability".

Clearly this is no way to run a modern Police Force. But as we have noted on previous occasions in these columns the Government is caught on the horns of a dilemma in trying to manage the financial crisis. In trying to address the priorities from different sectors, the Government has not been able to satisfy the needs of all.

All of this is not to suggest that the Government has not done anything or that the JCF has managed its resources as well as it might. We note, for example, that in his presentation in the Sectoral Debate in May this year, Minister of National Security Dr. Peter Phillips outlined significant efforts to a provide the JCF with new motor vehicles, bikes and other equipment.

At the same time the frequency with which the Police Force has to be supplied with new cars suggests that there is much abuse of these vehicles. We are well aware that vehicles have to be used to chase criminals and for patrols etc., but we also contend that many policemen display an all too common disdain for public or state-provided property.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Novelette Grant has said the Police Force is "battle-weary". So is the public. While we do not expect an under-equipped Police Force to perform miracles, there must be greater accountability in the management of available resources on the part of both the Government and the JCF. The crisis facing the country will not be resolved by finger-pointing.

THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.

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