Many a time, people talk about peace and stability. Of course, this is when the people in a society live in such a stable environment that they feel safe to go about their business without fear of any form of violence at all. Or, knowing fully well that if anything untoward were to happen, it would be investigated quickly and the one responsible held accountable.
It has been said time and again that the primary duty of a government is to protect its citizens from every type of harm. That protection is so important that one may even say that when a government does it, it is actually protecting itself, because ultimately, it is the people who are the government.
That is why it is said that the provision of protection is complex as it involves a lot of policies and actions to ultimately guarantee it. One of the most important aspects of that provision of protection is seeing to it that there is accountability. That is to say, if a person behaves violently towards another citizen, then that person must be held accountable and punished in accordance with the law.
That punishment is not to inflict pain or to humiliate, but to reform the offender and to serve as a deterrent so that others will not do the same thing. Take for instance, the many occasions on which newspapers in this country report incidents of murder. It has become common to read that a person has been killed in one part of the country or the other.
When this happens, the police launch an investigation and most often than not, the culprit is arrested and taken to court. The courts then decide on the appropriate punishment for the offender. But there is a perception in the public that in many cases, such people would soon be seen roaming the streets again.
Some of the violent incidents that take place in the country in the recent past should be an eye-opener. The law enforcement officers should be given all the prerequisite skills and equipment not only to fight but prevent crime.
The causes of these killing incidents should be investigated and mechanisms put in place to prevent their recurrence rather than waiting till they happen then investigate. There must be a proactive means to prevent violent crimes in the country. That is the only way the lost sense of security can be regained.
Citizens must feel safe in the country so that they can go about their business.
