Leaders should break their yearlong silence on the police corruption probe that has been ongoing for about 19 months, apparently costing taxpayers more than $400,000.
Though we understand the need for confidentiality surrounding any such investigation, we would think that officials could reassure the public by periodically providing basic updates, including a timeline estimating when the probe might be completed.
The community, after all, is doubtlessly wondering what is taking so long. When police announced the probe in August 2014, they said that internal investigations had already been ongoing for “quite some time.”
Since then, leaders have provided precious little information, all of which was released more than a year ago:
• four United Kingdom officers were hired to conduct the probe, which originally was headed by then-Police Commissioner David Morris and Director of Public Prosecutions Wayne Rajbansie;
• in February 2015, David Baines, commissioner of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, replaced Mr. Morris at the helm of the investigation; and
• at least five police officers were interdicted at the start of the probe, but at least one of them has been reinstated.
Since February 2015, no substantive updates have been provided. When the Beacon requested information last month, Governor John Duncan, who has responsibility for the police force, declined to comment, and police cryptically directed a reporter to “the person presently assigned [to] head” the probe. Mr. Rajbansie did not respond to messages, and attempts to reach Mr. Baines were unsuccessful.
This silence is unfortunate, because there are surely many questions that could be answered without compromising the investigation.
What, for example, is taking so long? Has substantive progress been made? When might the effort be finished? Are Messrs. Rajbansie and Baines still in charge? How exactly is Mr. Baines heading the investigation from another jurisdiction? Has this arrangement caused delays? Are four police officers still interdicted from duty? Are they receiving full pay? Have any others been disciplined? How much more money is likely to be needed?
Any police force depends heavily on the public’s trust, and even a hint of corruption is bad news indeed. For this reason, a thorough probe into any such allegation seems like a reasonable endeavour despite the cost.
However, transparency is also crucial for maintaining the public trust. To that end, leaders need to provide enough information so that the community can rest assured that the probe is being handled properly and efficiently, and that it will be completed in a timely manner.
And when the investigation is over, of course, they should explain everything.
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