It is just one month ago that the liberation train started moving – on the 4th of July, when the Police Officers went to the Polls for the first time on a date that was different from the general voters. And, of course, the majority of voters followed suit on the 8th July, and the rest is already history. It may, or may not be pure co-incidence – that on Friday first August, 2008, a new Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr. James Clarkson, replaced the out-going C.O.P Mr. Winston James. And again, on that emancipation historical date going back to 1834/38 – the new Administration saw it fitting to recognise and celebrate the day in many special ways – as never happened before. But be all the forgoing as they may – we must not forget nor fail to remember and give special thanks to the out-going C.O.P. who gave (40 yrs) forty years of stalwart service as a Police Officer to his Country and people. And being the patriotic “gouyave boy” I have been, and will always be, I cannot pretend that the retired C.O.P. ( a gouyave boy) had not made me proud of his progress over the years, as he ascended the ladder to the top. He may have faltered along the way at times, from listening to mis-guided advice, or the company he kept – but all in all he gave the Country and people yeoman service, and am sure gouyave people are proud of him regardless. In fact, we had a trio of police officers that made it to the top from gouyave, who made us proud over the years – despite the odd lapses here and there. I am thinking here of Leroy Baptiste “alias Cabbage”, Fitzroy Bedeau “alias twice”(the recent candidate), and the last one to retire C.O.P. James. “Cabbage” was Commissioner of the Prison, after long standing service with the Police in all departments, and “Twice” was also C.O.P. The new Commissioner has been at the people’s service in crisis time before, and he is very capable and reliable, and well qualified to take on the mantle of Leadership of the Police Force at this time. Whatever the length of service he is called upon to render in the circumstances – I do hope he manages to change the image of the Force from what it has been in recent times. And the change I am talking about here, is not to replace the old system of wrong-doing – with a new system of continuing wrong-doing -because wrong is wrong, regardless of whom the wrong-doers maybe. The individual Policeman/woman’s right to like and support any political person or party – must be accepted and respected, so long as it does not impinge on that officer ‘s responsibilities and duties to serve the public, and perform those duties without fear or favour. And as for promoting an officer, because he/she is supposed to be a supporter or a non-supporter of any party in or out of power – that must be a thing of the past. To ensure and build a united, dedicated, loyal and public-spirited force – the treatment of each and every officer must be fair, equitable, and justifiable at all times. The authority responsible for operating and organising the Police Service – cannot, and must not, be seen to have set a police-promotion Examination, and when the results are known and published – then decide to promote some of those who have failed the Exam, and over look some of those who passed with credits. Nor carry out an interview-promotion exercise, and after an officer has passed and was so advised – then suspend his promotion and later bring an internal charge against him, for an alleged incident over Two years old – because he is suspected of favouring the opposition in Parliament. Those types of behaviour make a mockery of justice and fairness and equality among equals. Police Officers already have serious and onerous responsibilities to cope with in their jobs – they should not be made to suffer further stress, and other financial worries in their private lives, through victimization and bias dealings based on their political preferences. C.O.P. Clarkson, the Baton is in your hands once again – pass it on with honour, and dignity, and integrity. But over and above the internal dealings and management of the Force – the crime situation in our tri-island State is screaming out for vibrant and forceful action and vigilance, to stem the run-away lawlessness – by our own long-standing peaceful and care-free way of life. The very grave statistics of over sixteen murders for this year – must give serious cause for concern by the police and national security controllers. That Ministry should have a junior Minister with direct responsibility for the police and its daily operations and over-all management and direction. The P.M. and Minister for National Security, among his many other duties – cannot be expected to give that Ministry the time needed. And while Agriculture and Agro-industry must be the bed-rock of our economic way forward – those will take some considerable time to develop and become productive. In the meantime, therefore, Tourism will be the driving force in the economy. But over and above the many ups and downs of the tourist trade itself, plus the ever-menacing natural disaster from the weather – that could cripple the Industry by one major hurricane; the worsening criminal activities could be the cause of many European and North American tourists deciding to holiday elsewhere. Every stop must therefore be pulled out – to give our fragile situation more breathing space and better control of the escalating crime wave. When our neighbor’s house is on fire we must start wetting ours. In Antigua & Barbuda recently, there was an un-usual vicious killing of a European wife on her honeymoon, while the husband was very badly injured. The English Press and Media went to town on the incident, and the crippling result to the Islands Economy – and the Tourism sector in particular – is quite astonishing. Although that was the first Murder of an English Tourist in Antigua for the past Ten years – it did not stop nearly total cancellations of Hotel and other Tourist oriented bookings in the Twin-Island State . The husband has since died in Hospital in Wales in the U.K. Our situation is quite alarming – as the Criminal record shows - and the Police and National Security powers-that-be cannot leave anything to chance, in their drive to bring things under control. The situation surrounding the CAP BANK fiasco, which was heightened when the ex-P.M. and Finance Minister in the last Government, Dr. Keith Mitchell, took court action to put the Bank under Receivership – continues to ferment. That state of affairs still obtains, and the Receiver and his staff are being paid – while the Depositors are kept in the dark about what is taking place; and the Bank’s operations are still at a stand still. Some conciliatory measures must be taken by the powers-that-be, to try and stop the senseless wastage, and see what can be rescued from the chaos. The Carnival spirit seems to have taken over from the Elections excitement, and with the frequent jump-ups and road shows and calypso competitions up and down the Country – all our problems seem to be on the back-burners. But when the Carnival over, they would not be dis-appearing with the musical sounds of the soca and road monarch and calypso hits. The tasks ahead of us are very real, and as the bits and pieces of the reality continue to unfold, or be discovered in hidden files and locked-up desks and cupboards – the magnitude of what really lies in store, for the new-comers to un-ravel and try to solve, those discoveries will be rather daunting. But what has to be done must be done regardless and quickly – because time is of the essence if we are really going to see the benefits of the change so many have voted for. One month has gone by, and except for the change at the top of the Police Force last week Friday, all the other top level public servants – as opposed to the political appointees who had to go with their bosses – are still in the same positions they occupied before the change-over took place on the 8th July. I am not here advocating the sacking of those top level public servants – because that would be wrong. What I am concerned about is their continued presence in the same Ministry they were occupying, when so many wrong-doings were taking place and they are still in control. The change-overs should have taken place some time ago – to allow the new bosses breathing space, and ample room to move around to be able to make their own findings and bring their subjective opinions to decide on the way ahead. Having sympathy and trying to be nice guys and gals – those are understandable traits, but in different and less urgent situations and under better conditions. Where we are now – the people’s business and the changes they voted for must take top precedence, and be attended to like of yesterday. Action that fail to bring about the needed changes would be action denied – and we cannot afford that luxury. The people have waited and suffered and showed great restraint over the years – while their heritage and national legacy were being kicked around like corrupted footballs, that allowed smart men and con artists to score heavy financial goals against the people’s interest. Now that the people have taken the bull by the horn, and turned the tables full scale around – those same smart men are offering all manner of sham donations and so-called incentives to fool the powers-that-be into thinking or believing that all is rosy in the garden of national investment. I am warning those who have to make the final decisions – not to fall too easily for those tit-bits. Examine carefully the horns of those coming on board, and the motives of some of those who are too ready to welcome the new shipmates. No need to guess at anything; the days of speculation and hopeful wild accusation are over; the U.S. Justice Department offer of Government to Government requests for hard evidence in bribery matters were real; forensic expert services, in all kinds of investigations to un-earth the damaging facts that dragged our good name down to the International gutters of frauds and bubul – are readily available and at our disposal. Justice must be done, and must be seen to being done across the board. If those who breached the people’s trust in their high offices, are not brought to Justice and made to face the rule of law like everyone else – then the campaign boasts of a new order, and integrity, and transparency in all that you do, would be empty phrases and glib promises that mis-led people. We are now at the stage, where those who preached open-ness and dignity in public office, must deliver, and quickly. As a people, we just cannot afford to squander this very golden opportunity to truly use the change to bring about lasting Liberation & Freedom. By Lloyd Noel (Attorney-at-law) Inside Grenada Columnist