The recent decision of the police high command and National Security Minister Peter Bunting to re-examine the deployment of Close Protection Officers (CPOs) makes eminent sense, given the high rate of crime in the country and the need for more police officers on the streets.

We note that Minister Bunting was quick to correct the impression formed from his address to Parliament that judges would no longer automatically qualify for CPOs. For were that the case, the country would be placing at grave risk the men and women who make up that arm of the State that must be protected at all cost.

The decision, therefore, to review the assignment of CPOs is basically a move to improve the efficiency and productivity of the police force.

Frequently, the constabulary is criticised for not being more effective in controlling and reducing crime. In response, both the police leadership and the political directorate proffer a plethora of explanations, including inadequate manpower, insufficient motor vehicles and equipment shortage.

Given the tight fiscal situation and the requirements of the International Monetary Fund programme it is very unlikely that the police will, in the foreseeable future, have the human resource complement and number of motor vehicles they deem necessary. It is therefore incumbent on the police to use their resources as efficiently as possible.

That, we recall, was the position of former Police Commissioner Owen Ellington, who was very focused on the constabulary producing tangible results.

Maximising efficiency implies using the time, manpower and assets, in particular motor vehicles, for the most urgent and important tasks of crime prevention and crime-fighting in the areas of the country with the greatest need.

We would never support people breaking the law. However, it makes little sense to have two armed police officers and a motor car parked in the salubrious surroundings of affluent upper St Andrew communities devoting their time to writing citations for drivers who have forgot to put on their seatbelts, while nearby cars are speeding through pedestrian crossings, ignoring children trying to cross, overloaded taxis are stopping anywhere, and motorists are disregarding traffic lights.

We hope that the deployment review announced by Minister Bunting will include an assessment of the number of cops and motor vehicles tied up in, for instance, the Traffic Division which could be used to help prevent or respond to serious crimes.

Yes, public order needs to be policed and breaches must be subject to sanction. But even more important is the fact that Jamaica needs as much of its police to be in the field dealing with serious criminal activity.