Among the many problems which the Jamaican police often say inhibit their ability to fight crime effectively is the shortage and quality of vehicles.

Their fleet, the complaint goes, is too old, with an average age of 10 years, which makes them unreliable. And there are too few. The consequence, therefore, is an insufficiency of motorised patrols and thereby a limited deterrence to criminals than should be the case. Nor can the police always respond as they should to specific emergencies.

The police obviously have a case, which is acknowledged by the Government, although it is not always acted upon because of a lack of resources. The problem, however, is being partially addressed.

This past week, the National Contracts Commission approved agreements more than $350 million to purchase approximately 190 vehicles, which should go some way towards alleviating the shortage. It is expected that it would take some months for the delivery of these vehicles, after which we hope to discern improved mobility and response times to crime scenes on the part of the constabulary.

Chronic situation

However, while we expect this to be the case, we do not believe the current situation is as chronic as it is often made out to be, and that taxpayers will get full value of this planned expenditure in the absence of aggressive fleet management on the part of the constabulary. Indeed, cops have to be made more accountable.

We understand that police often have to respond to emergencies and that service vehicles may be subject to a level of wear and tear used in normal, civilian circumstances. Nonetheless, the anecdotal evidence suggests that police vehicles are often abused, driven without the appropriate care and attention, even during normal circumstances. Indeed, some would claim that the assumption is likely to be that users of public property do not share the same obligation of care as when they are entrusted with the management of private ones.

Preventative maintenance

If that is the case, it has to change, which demands consistent monitoring on the part of the constabulary's fleet managers. It may also require the retraining and/or designation of specialist drivers of emergency vehicles, as well as a robust programme for preventative maintenance.

The upgraded fleet management system must also include the rationalisation and strict management of the use of police vehicles to limit what some people now claim to be a flagrant abuse of cops using police motor cars for private use.

The bottom line is that, while the police might not get all the vehicles they require and deserve, in the context of Jamaica, $350 million is a lot of money, and the police chief, Hardley Lewin, has to ensure that taxpayers get the best value for it. Those vehicles have to be used as efficiently as possible in the fight against crime.

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