I am exceedingly disappointed that Police Commissioner Hardley Lewin has thrown in the towel. I, however, shed no tears for the Central Bank Governor. These recent high-profile resignations have become the main talking points in Jamaica these days. Some are interpreting these resignations as evidence that the Bruce Golding administration has hit the rocks, unable to slay the dragon of crime and violence or to deal decisively with the battered economy.

Lewin's resignation, a mere two weeks after he publicly announced that he was staying in the job, suggests that he had been pushed. With no official word yet on why he felt his position had become untenable, there is lots of room for second-guessing.

Although his appointment was greeted by hopeful optimism, Lewin has few accomplishments to show in his two years at the helm of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Fair or not, his tenure will be remembered as another disastrous period for law enforcement with murders continuing to take the country deeper into the dark hole of despair.

Main obstacle

The main obstacle to Lewin scoring any real victory on the crime-fighting front was the obvious lack of cooperation from some senior members of the Force. Being an outsider, coming from an elite force that considers itself superior to the JCF, Lewin had to deal with a cliquish element which made its opposition to his appointment known at the very beginning.

There can't be many members of the JCF who wanted Lewin to be successful, for it would confirm that the authorities had been correct in looking outside of the JCF for someone to lead the charge against the out-of-control crime situation.

One thing about writing a column is that one can make policy, change governments, assign portfolios, shuffle Cabinets, etc., without any real consequences. After all, no one elected me to govern. But for what it's worth, here's how I believe Lewin could have succeeded in the job.

As a former chief of staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Lewin was in a position to identify the ten top officers who could have been seconded to the JCF. These officers would have been given performance targets and placed at strategic points throughout the country. Working in tandem with the British experts, I believe such an infusion of strong ethics and discipline for which the JDF is known, would have worked miracles for the JCF and ultimately for national security.

The search is on

But Lewin is gone and the search is on for a new Commissioner. Chances are someone who was previously overlooked as not having the requisite qualities will now be crowned Commissioner. The appointment is also coming at a time when there are heightened calls for something to be done about rogue cops. The country expects the highest standards of probity from the man or woman who is charged with the responsibility of heading the police. The new Commissioner will have a full plate.

Perhaps this is also a time to evaluate the wisdom of having a Jamaica Constabulary Force and an Island Special Constabulary Force. Are there synergies to be gained by merging both? Are there savings to be gained by eliminating some of the duplication that must surely result from having to administer two bodies that appear to be performing similar functions?

A career in public safety is not easy. Men and women in uniform expose themselves to risk daily. What makes their job worse is that some of their members have behaved so recklessly they have caused a serious erosion of public confidence in the police.

The JLP is being given another opportunity to make a fresh start and turn the tables around decisively in favour of law and order and decency. Will it happen?

Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.