Res Gestae
Preventing crime is everyone's responsibility
First of two parts
(Note: I yield this space for the article sent to me by the writer himself, James White, a Public Safety and Security Consultant. He must have read some of my articles through the TNT website. While Mr White wrote in the context of the United State's peace and order situation, his thoughts are also relevant in our country's campaign against criminality, insurgency and terrorism. This, I believe that anywhere in the world, it is taught that crime prevention is everybody's business. Didn't Robert Peel put it clearly, "the police is the community, the community is the police"?.)
I guess it's human for people today to be in a make believed world of their own, safe and secure, families living happy, healthy and successful. Nothing wrong with a happy family life, we all want such. True reality of life after September 11th is too much to fathom for America's over three hundred million populace. We look at our little individual worlds as a safe haven far from crime and terrorist attacks!
Until someone in our family circle is a victim of crime! Then the world of reality strikes hard, with no natural affection, love, kindness, goodness present and panic set in! Security and safety is gone suddenly, just like a raging storm! Like a tornado with no wall, tower, thing or person to stop its powerful surge smashing your make believed world to pieces!
The police made their report, after they arrived, responding to a security department's call for help. They investigate and take statements from witnesses (If there was any), then make their report. They tell the victim/s that they will do what they can to find the criminal/s involved. That's all they can do. And they are doing their jobs well. No shame should fall on our Criminal Justice system's Vanguard, the police. They are a re-active crime control agency.
If the crime was at a Shopping mall, Hospital, University or office complex, chances are, the corporate owners are afraid the liability risk is much too high to give their security departments the right tools they need to prevent such crimes against your family. They implement a strict policy of hands off, when it comes to preventing crime! They are told to call the police if there is something that may cause an interruption in the peace and public safety. The owners even go as far as telling store keepers in the shopping malls to call the police directly, and do not call security, for they are wasting time going through the security thinking that the malls security can prevent a crime!
However! This entity (Security) is the only entity that has the before, during, and after the fact premise to be successful in preventing crime and terrorist attacks. The police are usually at a scene after the fact! Please, we are not saying the police are not needed! For they must be in place working with security to complete the circle of preponderate to fight crime!
So what happens when these sequence of scenes take place at this present time in American history? We then have in the end result, many frustrated people! The victim/s, their families, the security, the police, the owners, the politicians, and the public! For the crime was not prevented! And then everyone looks at the police and security, and say, where were you guys?
Does the Homeland Security department encourage the owners of these complexes, Shopping malls, Hospitals, Universities/Colleges and office complexes to give their security people the tools to prevent crime instead of just responding to these problems? Do they encourage law makers to change the laws to help private and governmental security people to Prevent Crime instead of acting like police, and just respond to a crime in progress? The five students killed when a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University Thursday ( 2-14-08) in the afternoon were at college to begin building their dreams. And please don't forget those Virginia State Tech. students had their dreams shattered to.
I believe this problem will continue, until the American People realize that crime prevention must have the Before factor to work! Security must be looked at in totally unique way, and must be developed to prevent these issues. Security must have the rights and duty to investigate before hand all connected to the Universities and other schools. Security must be able to detect before hand, these troubled people and be able to stop such bloodshed! Security must not be an operation that mainly shows a reactive response. Security must have the high tech systems in place to detect issues that relate to prevention! To be continued