Sula: Fixing the crime problem

I SAT through the three-hour meeting presided by Gov. Baby Pineda at the capitol over the weekend as she and other officials tackled the labyrinthine issue of carnapping that has put the province on the spot.
At the end of it, it was clear there was no silver bullet to solve the problem.
It was also clear that no matter how much the governor wanted to avoid fixing the blame, it wasn’t just possible. She tried to mince words but her futile attempt only made the temptation stronger.
Some people were undoubtedly sleeping on the job.
How, for instance, she asked with a tenuous smile, could the suspects stay in their lairs without getting the attention of the barangay tanods or the barangay officials or the mayors or the police?
Red-faced officials tried to grapple with the embarrassing question and feebly came out with various excuses which only drew a tougher response: time to kick some butts.
Maybe not now, the gov said, but the next time something happens, whether it’s about carnapping or other crimes, that’s the way to go.
One mayor blamed the lack of enough policemen to cover grounds, and then went on to harrumph with how he managed to do with less in his turf. Nice try, even with a touch of political bravado, and not too bad to copy too, for lack of a better solution.
Another invoked cause and effect, the unintended consequences. Crime is the downside of progress, and Pampanga is paying the price, he said.
That should have been the statement of the day or the hour – more of a heads-up than an explanation. If the captive audience believed his conviction, Pampanga should expect more crimes with each passing day that ushers in a growth in the GDP – especially around Clark.
I remember one city official from way back who blamed progress as well for the traffic problem in the city.
Fixing the blame isn’t enough to fix the problem. But it sure practically starts there. If the officials and authorities are sleeping on the job, they should be allowed to goof off somewhere, not where criminals make themselves so comfortable in their presence. This is so obvious it’s a no-brainier.
This isn’t just a pretty concept. One mayor mentioned an incident not too long ago where a carrier full of cars was hijacked in his town. He said the police were called to respond. Nobody did in whatever form, manner, shape or sound. The mayor was baffled, as everyone else in the meeting.
Everyone seemed to have a piece of the big picture on the crime problem in the province. Putting them together is the first step to making a sensible approach on how to address it soundly, effectively and sustainably – a road map, as one military officer suggested.
Maps are easy to draw, though. It’s leadership that needs to make the difference in making those maps applicable. Meetings are useful, too. But neither can be substituted for actions, especially against problems as serious as crimes. Leadership is supposed to be imbued with a bias for results.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/opinion/sula-fixing-crime-problem

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