Small defends his appointments

Rodney Small, the local musician and producer who was recently appointed head of the National Commission on Crime Prevention (NCCP) and deputy chair of the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Youth has defended the government’s decision to name him in these posts.

Small’s appointments have received some level criticism on social media and on at least one radio station with persons commenting that the graduate of the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts has no experience dealing with crime.

But on Tuesday, Small, calling the Hot 97.1 AM Mayhem show said he understands the confusion when it comes to the NCCP as the organisation lacks visibility and persons do not understand the role he will play as the head of the body.

Small explained that decisions relating to the NCCP are made by its board of directors and those decisions are passed to the secretariat, which he now heads, for implementation.

The NCCP falls under the Ministry of National Security and according to the Ministry’s website, the NCCP must deal with, among other things, criminal offences committed by organized gangs, assist in cracking down on money laundering and the proceeds of crime, assist in speeding up and widening the process of extradition and protecting witnesses testifying against criminal groups.

Small said the members of the board of directors are experts in the various fields mentioned above.

“There is a representative from education, there is a representative from the Bar Association, there is a representative from the FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit), there is a representative from the police, there is a representative from mobilization…

“It is approximately 15 to 16 persons who are on the Commission who are experts…now the NCCP is just the secretariat which will carry out some of the programmes and initiatives that the Commission comes up with,” Small told Hot 97.1.

He said there is also a social element of the NCCP and one of the major objectives is to create programmes, initiatives and projects that will help to reduce or prevent crime among young people and in a holistic way, the country.

Small, whose NCCP appointment was announced on radio on Sunday by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said the NCCP’s website needs updating and he will be working on making the organisation more visible.

He said the NCCP is not an organisation charged with arresting people or bringing evidence in cases but one that does referrals.

“So if you bring a situation to me or a case to me, I am not a law enforcement officer. What I’ll do is that I look at the representative on the Commission, or I look at the stakeholders and then I share those information or those referrals to those persons,” Small explained.

He said the NCCP is focused on creating programmes that can prevent crime, and added that his qualities and expertise in relation to managing people, being part of organizations and being able to execute plans, is what makes him a good fit for the position of head of the NCCP.

Small said that most persons are looking at the cultural part of his training and ignoring his organizational skills, his leadership ability, and his ability to sync with young people.

The NCCP head noted that radio stations like Hot 97.1 have a role to play in addressing the crime situation whether it is for information or other purposes.

He noted that the NCCP has started awareness programmes in the schools and communities and are going to move into consultations so that they can be aware of what is happening and the causes and then look at referrals.