BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – In an attempt to rid itself of any corruption, the Regional Security System (RSS) is to introduce polygraph testing for those persons wishing to join its ranks.
This was confirmed by RSS Coordinator Grantley Watson in an interview with the Sunday Sun newspaper here. He said the decision to adopt the polygraph (lie-detector) policy was made last year and that it should be completed by the end of April.
“In an organisation like this, there is always the chance of corruption,” Watson said, noting the high frequency of drug-running in the Caribbean.
“We know for sure that persons have been approached before and a few may have cooperated (with drug dealers and other bad elements). I’m not saying that there is a high level of corruption in the organisation but if we polygraph everyone coming in, then the likelihood of persons accepting bribes will go way down,” said the former Barbados police chief.
He said the Barbados-based RSS was concerned that staff members could be approached by drug dealers or violent criminals interested in offering significant sums of money for sensitive information regarding the organisation’s plans in policing coastlines or patrolling suspected areas of drug activity.
According to the newspaper report, in addition to the screening of all perspective members, existing staff will be required to pass polygraphs before being assigned to special RSS missions, since they would have entered the system without going through rigorous testing.
The issue was discussed at a high-level RSS meeting in St Kitts late last month.
The RSS is a joint mission of Barbados and six members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
May sound like a good idea but that should not be the sole criteria for selecting individuals to RSS. Further more i would hope every Police officer in the Island see it as priority to not divulge information or assist criminals. I only Imagine all the officers selected for training by the individual countries
meet the requirements since they are known better by their superiors in their respective countries.
Might not be a bad idea; however, the concern that may come up wth this is the incedences of false positive….i.e. an honest officer being rail-roaded for innocently failing the polygraph. If it is introduced, you will have mostly honest recruits because the potential recruits who have had previous illegal dealings will not register for the unit due to the fear of being found out.
GREAT IDEA!
Polygraphs are not reliable and not accepted in US courts.
A nervous person could fail it and be innocent.
WHILE I COMMEND THE ATTEMPTS TO TAKE ACTION BY THE HIGH RANKS OF THE R.S.S…..THE POLYGRAPH TEST IS NOT CONCLUSIVE….IT CAN ONLY BE USED AS A GUIDE…NOT A DECISION MAKING TOOL…TOO MUCH CAN AFFECT THE READING OF THE POLYGRAPH…SUCH AS BODY HEAT,MINDSET,HEALTH,NERVOUS FEELING ETC.
hey ! Do not take my damn name ! i agree with your point.