Police under watch
Raghav Ramful
By Raghav Ramful
Published on 18th July, 2008
The issue of law and order in Mauritius still remains the talk of the town with the ever-increasing crime rate. Responsibilities are shared in this regard and the major chunk rests on the
shoulders of the law enforcers, the Mauritius Police Force.
shoulders of the law enforcers, the Mauritius Police Force.
A wind of change is currently blowing over the Mauritius Police Force with the appointment of the new Commissioner of Police, Dhun Iswar Rampersad. On the other hand, the MPF is also shifting to higher gear with its staff beefed up fresh from the last wave of new recruits.
Some 444 of them, out of whom around 95 women officers, lined up at the Gymkhana grounds on Saturday, July 12 for the passing out parade in front of the Prime Minister, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam and the top brass of the police force. With the ball set rolling, the Prime Minister made it a point to tell the new recruits what is expected of them right from the very beginning in this new paradigm shift of the police force as he calls it.
“We are expecting discipline and performance. People want results and we want Mauritius to be a safe place where we can live and also a safe place for two million tourists in 2015. Mauritius must be a safe place for everyone and we will not allow a band of criminals to tarnish our reputation,” said the PM.
As a deterrent to crime, the Prime Minister explains that two pieces of legislation will soon be introduced to curb down murders and sexual crimes. In this endeavour, the culprits will have to face long term imprisonment and in order to send out this strong signal, communiqués will be sent out from the office of the Commissioner of Police to the population.
The Prime Minister underlined that the Mauritian citizen has the right to security. “The law of the jungle, with bands taking the law in their hands unbothered does not have its place in our modern and democratic society that spells equality. Ensuring the protection of the most vulnerable is of utmost importance,” he said. The activities of such groups pose a danger to the population and the Prime Minister expressed his determination to put an end to this situation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam remarked that there is a general perception that meritocracy is not practised in the Police Force. “People believe that once someone joins the force, the ride is smooth until he retires without bothering taking up responsibilities. Sometimes, there are those who engage in side businesses while serving at the same time in the Police Force. There were cases where officers were benefiting from ‘automatic promotions’ if they were in the good books of their superiors. These were current happenings and considered as business as usual,” he said.
International assistance
The Police Force is already benefiting from international support as far as training and logistics are concerned. With heavy emphasis being laid on capacity building and high end technology at the disposal of the MPF, the Prime Minister explained that Mauritius will benefit from assistance coming from friendly countries like China, India, US, UK and France.
As a matter of fact, with the financial assistance of India, Mauritius is looking forward to acquiring a helicopter with capacity to fly non-stop to far away islands in the Indian Ocean without having to refuel during the trip. An Offshore Patrol Vessel to screen our EEZ might also be part of the assistance from India.
On the other hand, France has already helped Mauritius with the setting up of a specialized cell in making portraits of suspects. China is expected to finance the setting up of a network of CCTV cameras in Port Louis and Grand Baie along with a digital radio communication system for the Police Force.
The US, in its bid to fight terrorism has been engaged in joint Search and Rescue Operations with other countries and Mauritius is definitely on their list. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) will benefit from the expertise of the University of Staffordhire. The European Union will disburse some 500 000 euros to beef up the services offered by the FSL.
New goals
The new Commissioner of Police explains that the Police Force is accountable to the population. The very fact that we serve the population gives them the right to ask questions on our performance. That’s the main reason why we should not tolerate indiscipline in our midst.
The main concern of the new CP is to initiate reforms by remodelling some units of the Police Force. He is also keen on reducing the crime rate gradually and increasing surveillance in our Exclusive Economic Zone with the acquisition of a new helicopter and a patrol vessel.
Some 444 of them, out of whom around 95 women officers, lined up at the Gymkhana grounds on Saturday, July 12 for the passing out parade in front of the Prime Minister, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam and the top brass of the police force. With the ball set rolling, the Prime Minister made it a point to tell the new recruits what is expected of them right from the very beginning in this new paradigm shift of the police force as he calls it.
“We are expecting discipline and performance. People want results and we want Mauritius to be a safe place where we can live and also a safe place for two million tourists in 2015. Mauritius must be a safe place for everyone and we will not allow a band of criminals to tarnish our reputation,” said the PM.
As a deterrent to crime, the Prime Minister explains that two pieces of legislation will soon be introduced to curb down murders and sexual crimes. In this endeavour, the culprits will have to face long term imprisonment and in order to send out this strong signal, communiqués will be sent out from the office of the Commissioner of Police to the population.
The Prime Minister underlined that the Mauritian citizen has the right to security. “The law of the jungle, with bands taking the law in their hands unbothered does not have its place in our modern and democratic society that spells equality. Ensuring the protection of the most vulnerable is of utmost importance,” he said. The activities of such groups pose a danger to the population and the Prime Minister expressed his determination to put an end to this situation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam remarked that there is a general perception that meritocracy is not practised in the Police Force. “People believe that once someone joins the force, the ride is smooth until he retires without bothering taking up responsibilities. Sometimes, there are those who engage in side businesses while serving at the same time in the Police Force. There were cases where officers were benefiting from ‘automatic promotions’ if they were in the good books of their superiors. These were current happenings and considered as business as usual,” he said.
International assistance
The Police Force is already benefiting from international support as far as training and logistics are concerned. With heavy emphasis being laid on capacity building and high end technology at the disposal of the MPF, the Prime Minister explained that Mauritius will benefit from assistance coming from friendly countries like China, India, US, UK and France.
As a matter of fact, with the financial assistance of India, Mauritius is looking forward to acquiring a helicopter with capacity to fly non-stop to far away islands in the Indian Ocean without having to refuel during the trip. An Offshore Patrol Vessel to screen our EEZ might also be part of the assistance from India.
On the other hand, France has already helped Mauritius with the setting up of a specialized cell in making portraits of suspects. China is expected to finance the setting up of a network of CCTV cameras in Port Louis and Grand Baie along with a digital radio communication system for the Police Force.
The US, in its bid to fight terrorism has been engaged in joint Search and Rescue Operations with other countries and Mauritius is definitely on their list. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) will benefit from the expertise of the University of Staffordhire. The European Union will disburse some 500 000 euros to beef up the services offered by the FSL.
New goals
The new Commissioner of Police explains that the Police Force is accountable to the population. The very fact that we serve the population gives them the right to ask questions on our performance. That’s the main reason why we should not tolerate indiscipline in our midst.
The main concern of the new CP is to initiate reforms by remodelling some units of the Police Force. He is also keen on reducing the crime rate gradually and increasing surveillance in our Exclusive Economic Zone with the acquisition of a new helicopter and a patrol vessel.