<B>By Deepa BHOOKHUN</B>

Trust us, says Ramanooj Gopalsingh, the sometime commissioner of police.

Well, well, Mr Gopalsingh, there is nothing in this world I would want more except that my faith has been tested far too often these days for me to give it away as freely as I used to.

But ever the believer, I am willing to try. Except that Mr Golpalsingh is testing further my good intentions ? how on earth am I expected to trust the Mauritius Police Force when the boss himself clearly doesn?t?

The police commissioner announced on Wednesday that 225 members of the police force would be posted at police stations throughout the country.

The logic is I guess, that more policemen at places where you can see them would serve as a deterrent. It would have been a great idea had policemen been highly regarded and respected. Except that this ? and I hate myself for saying this ? is clearly not the case. And in case you think I am being out of order, please let me explain. Those 225 policemen have been picked from units like the Special Mobile Force and the Special Supporting Unit. By SMF understand army; this unit had been trained way back by the British army and is still regarding as a Mauritian version of the army. The SSU is like a version of the Prison Supporting Squad ? the infamous PSS ? designed to intervene in violent situations. The members of the SSU are specially trained to fight ? and break fights ? and can be formidable adversaries when they are actually ordered to flex their muscles. They have in common with the defunct PSS that they wear the berets- a sign that they don?t bother with niceties. Why on earth would they be posted in police stations if as says Ramanooj Gopalsingh, the situation was ?under control?? I?ll tell you why ? because the ?situation? as they call it, is anything but under control. It is because the CP doesn?t trust the ?normal? policemen to protect themselves let alone other people. Because the ?situation? is so not under ?control? that someone somewhere has decided that if it came to it, then ?reasonable? force should be used in order to send a forceful message to those people.

And as an appalling footnote to this tragedy, the CP felt the need to tell his men ? and the public ? that policemen were entitled to use ?reasonable? force to protect- and defend- themselves. Because hey, it seems they didn?t already know it.

Communication, it seems, is clearly not Mr Gopalsingh?s forte even if he seems to be making an effort now that the shit has hit the fan. But this is not an excuse ? the police are expected to administer the country?s security issues adequately. This is their job and part of the job description is not to cause disaffection in the police force precisely because public confidence is crucial to the success of this mission.

Trust ?us?? Charity begins at home, Mr Gopalsingh.