SSP Diaries | Expansionism requires prudent management and foresight

THE LAST 10 years have seen notable degrees of expansionism in the Jamaican society. Without going into any great amount of details, we have had the continuing expansion of the police force, the rapid expansion of the military, and violent expansion of crimes of all descriptions, to name a few.

Increasing the sizes of our security forces, I believe to be a necessary thing, especially as the population and other critical assets of the country increase and are in need of the protection and assurance mechanisms needed for positive development. Assuming that there is legitimate cause and justification for these developments, it is hoped that some basic facts were a part of the roll out of the strategy of expansionism.

The major question on many Jamaicans’ minds concern whether or not monies being spent on the police or military could be better spent on identifying and dealing with the root causes of the crime epidemic affecting the nation, and, if not, would an appropriate percentage serve to make the inroads required for a sustainable set of strategies to deal with this problem? The implementation of a properly designed, maintained and sustained social intervention mechanism, controlled at the highest levels, immediately comes to mind.

Notwithstanding such concerns, there has been observed a discernible shift towards a more proactive, preventative approach to crime-fighting, as opposed to the old reactive and containment strategies. It is difficult for most to see, but it is our reality. It will take time to become the norm, and a lot depends upon the support of the public in playing their part, as we have heard many times over. It needs to become our reality rather than the exception. Essentially, therefore, a balance is being struck, it could be argued, where expansionism in these areas is concerned. The question then is, is there a better balance to be achieved?

There is a difference between purely superior numbers and properly trained, educated, equipped, motivated, developed and led persons in service to their country. Numbers given sophisticated resources to do their jobs, without the attributes mentioned, are more of a hindrance to progress than anything else; in fact, they can be downright dangerous and destructive. There are many examples in history that speak to the challenges met and overcome by organisations that pay keen attention to the development of their employees and, therefore, take their responsibilities for good leadership and management seriously. This is where we must go, numbers alone will not solve our problems, and the security of a nation is not about increasing its employment numbers at the expense of developing the capacities to deal with its threats.

ADEQUATE HUMAN CAPITAL TO FUEL NAT'L DEVELOPMENT

This conversation leads us to a look at other critical parts of our national infrastructure. Our population continuously expands each year. Governments struggle to find housing solutions. New businesses develop, and as communities expand, so do the opportunities for the supply of goods and services. Commercial sites, for example, are rapidly on the increase. I have not heard much about the expansion of our health, fire and other critical social services, for example, to keep pace with our growing societal needs. At the centre of all the areas highlighted in this conversation are people. We must give rapid, strategic, and economic focus to our basic-, primary- and secondary-education systems to ensure that we have adequate human capital to fuel national development. It might be prudent to start with responsible governments further subsidising the cost of tertiary education, thereby making this something that is open to the majority, as opposed to the minority. The fact that our health services need to be at the front of our considerations, goes without question. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us what neglect over decades has brought upon us, a service in need of a complete overhaul, as it is inadequate to satisfy even our basic needs. Today, we find ourselves having to ponder the outcomes of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The world as we know it is changing, and we must expand our thought processes to survive. We will not fare well without proper planning, prudent foresight, and balanced diplomacy.

The object of this conversation is to highlight the need for balance in our considerations that are intended to serve the greater good of the nation. It does not detract from the focus placed on any organisation mentioned, but merely points out that, in our reality, there are other areas, not just the examples used, that are in need of equal or greater focus than has been the case. The development of the nation is better served in this manner.