Use of Force by Police in the Caribbean: Towards a Social Psychological Analysis

• Author: Ramesh Deosaran
• Pages: 301-320

301

USE OF FORCE BY POLICE IN THE CARIBBEAN

THE CONTEXT

The use of force by the police is well

recognised as an exceedingly problematic

one for citizens, the courts, the government

and the police themselves. As necessary as

it may sometimes be, police use of force,

especially deadly force, has serious

implications for the rights and freedoms of

citizens. And as has been evident in recent

times in the Caribbean, it can cause very

severe stress upon police-community

relations. Officers in the Caribbean are

usually allowed to bear arms while on patrol.

Of course, deadly force is the lightening rod,

but we cannot ignore the range of other

instances where force is used, justifiably or

not. These, too, cause great public distress

and several other serious consequences.

With particular reference to deadly force,

Mark Blumberg (1994) said:

Because law enforcement officers possess

the ultimate power that any society can

grant, the power to take life, and because

this power is exercised without any

judicial determination of guilt and

without appellate review, it is clear that

police use of deadly force raises a number

of critical issue. The reputation of the

department may be tarnished and its

relationship with the community can

suffer irreparable harm. Finally, in some

instances, the killing may trigger marches,

protests, or even riots. (p. 201)

As we will illustrate later, while the public

across the Caribbean has grown quite

Use of Force by

Police in the

Caribbean:

Towards a Social

Psychological

Analysis1

Ramesh Deosaran

Fourteen

302

CRIME, DELINQUENCY AND JUSTICE

concerned over the police use of force, there has as yet been no systematic study

done on the subject here. This is the first such study, as exploratory as it is. We

will first take a quick overview of use of force incidents and consequent public

reaction in selected Caribbean states, then briefly deal with the problems in

conceptualising and applying force, throughout which we will seek to tease out

those aspects which help justify a social psychological analysis of the overall

issue. Selecting Trinidad and Tobago for more detailed focus, we will examine the

legal framework and the several pieces of data which are pertinent to the use of

force in this jurisdiction. Of special interest is the range of ‘use of force’ instances

which help put the ultimate question of excessive force in perspective. Finally,

we provide an outline of the social psychological approach we intend to take in

continuing this line of research. In these ways, we seek to help fill an obvious gap

in research on Caribbean policing.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: POLICE, RULES AND THE CHALLENGES

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has 6,000 officers, serving a population

of 1.3 million people in the formerly British but now an ethnically-diverse,

independent state which is itself located about eight miles north of Venezuela

(Africans 40 per cent, East Indians 40 per cent, Mixed 18 per cent, Others (e.g.,

Chinese, Syrians, etc.) two per cent.

Administratively, the Service is divided into nine police divisions headed by

the commissioner of police whose office and central administration staff are

located in the capital city of Port-of-Spain. Each division is headed by a senior

superintendent. Briefly, the Service falls under the civilian authority of the Ministry

of National Security and Cabinet, with a Police Service Commission responsible

for finalising matters such as promotions and discipline. A similar, very centralised

line of authority exists in all Caribbean states, except that in some states, there is

no statutory, independent Police Service Commission. This makes the line of

authority much more direct between the Cabinet and the Police Service in such

jurisdictions.

In Trinidad and Tobago, expansions in such areas as housing developments,

secondary schools, illegal practices of squatting, vending and PH-taxis, have all

became focal points for sharpened citizen-police confrontations. As the leading

industrial and manufacturing country within the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM), Trinidad and Tobago experiences an estimated poverty rate of 30

per cent (households), a per capita income around US$5,000, marked

socioeconomic inequalities and an unemployment rate which has fluctuated

between 20 and 12 per cent over the last 20 years. For the year 2000, the number

of serious crimes in this country stood at 17,132; minor crimes and minor offences

at 15,640 and 20,872 respectively. These crime figures are quite similar to those

of the past five years.