It is either that Admiral Lewin was not properly briefed on the state of the force; that he, initially, did not take the briefing seriously enough; or that he was not listening to complaints of Jamaicans about the wanton use of the gun by the police. After all, even in as difficult a society to police as Jamaica is, upwards of 200 police homicides a year must raise eyebrows.
The good thing, however, is that a year into the job, Commissioner Lewin is apparently shorn of any naivety he might have harboured and is proceeding with vigour in attempting to reform a constabulary which is inefficient and corrupt. Clearly, in the two years he has remaining, Admiral Lewin has much work to do if he is to leave a constabulary that is reasonably decent.
He deserves support, both from the wider society and the authorities. In that regard, an issue in the police chief's interview with this newspaper is cause for serious concern - that is, how slow the Government has been in adjusting legislation to give the commissioner greater powers to manage the force.
Since the mid-1990s, when Colonel Trevor MacMillan was commissioner of police, there have been talks, for example, of the need to give the police chief the capacity to operate akin to the chief executive officer of a corporation in the management of staff.
As it now stands, it is extremely difficult for a senior officer to be fired from the force or be disciplined by his/her boss, aside from a deliberate process of humiliation and frustration. Anyone above the rank of sergeant has to be interdicted by the Police Service Commission and is allowed quasi-judicial hearings before that body. And he or she can then appeal an unfavourable ruling in the courts.
Appropriate legislation
It cannot be beyond the capacity of the experts to devise a process, and craft the appropriate legislation, to give the police chief greater operational and management flexibility, without undermining the rights of a police officer who was dealt with unfairly. It happens for other categories of workers.
But there must be quid pro quo: greater powers to the police chief in exchange for greater transparency and accountability.
For instance, the police chief and his senior officers should be required not only to outline their broad strategies, but to periodically account for their performance before a legislative committee.
Such a move is likely to build public confidence and trust among stakeholders, especially when they perceive that those entrusted with authority are doing the right things. Perhaps Admiral Lewin might even volunteer to begin appearing periodically before an appropriate committee.