Saturday, September 23, 2006 Editorials: Playing the ‘blame game’
In the “blame game” being played following the sudden rise in the number of robbery-related violence in Metro Cebu, many sectors have become convenient targets.
Some people, spurred by the belief that vigilante-style killings is an effective deterrence to crime, are zeroing in, for example, at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and the Cebu archdiocese, both critical of vigilantism.
The argument, which is faulty and dangerous, is that because of their anti-vigilantism stance suspected criminals are no longer killed, thus giving those who are still alive the daring to mount another wave of attacks.
The other target is the police, or more specifically the augmentation units composed mostly of new recruits from other regions of the country, that some people feel were remiss in their task of preventing the commission of crimes.
Not a putdown
But pinpointing blame can only have value if it is constructive and meant to correct flaws and improve efficiency, not to put those being blamed down.
Blaming critics of vigilante-style killings for the crime surge, for example, glosses over the point that there has not been a credible study supporting the conclusion that vigilantism is effective in curbing criminality, whether in the short term or the long term.
Also, both those that are against or for vigilantism have actually the same goal, which is to maintain order; surely it does not look good that well-meaning sectors instead end up being the considered enemies or the cause of the crime surge.
Putting pressure
As for the augmentation units, the lapses should be assessed objectively, and that includes considering the reality of inexperienced operatives let loose in an unfamiliar territory with the least supervision or monitoring by their superiors.
Putting too much pressure on the new recruits to deliver well without providing them with the needed help will only result to demoralization, which would complicate the problems encountered in their deployment.
Shared responsibility
The bottom line is that blame for the crime surge should be shared by everybody; meaning, everybody should also contribute to its solution---even if that contribution will only involve being constructive in our criticisms.
