Last week, a new Public Security Directorate (PSD) director was appointed by
Royal Decree, at a time when Jordan is facing internal and external challenges
and is witnessing a growth in organized crime and violence.
اضافة اعلان
These issues were clearly addressed in the Royal
Letter of Designation, which highlighted the need to increase efforts to
counter drug trafficking and fight crime.
To do so, to counter behavior that impacts the
Jordanian society, there is need to find new approaches.
The challenges outlined in the Royal Decree included
the safety of Jordanians; emphasis was put on the importance of finding
solutions and being prepared to deal with challenging issues posed by
emergencies and national disasters.
The new PSD director must also deal with the
unfortunate outcome of the collapse of a residential building in Amman.
It is critical to contain a growing number of
internal challenges quickly; even more so in the case of the drug trade and
use, which creates increased societal pressure.
There is no doubt that cross-border incidents pose
increasing risk to internal stability, especially since regional criminals
and their illegal activities are becoming increasingly more sophisticated.
As such, the PSD must adopt an analytical
intelligence approach that will help understand the direction or patterns of
criminal groups.
The police interact with citizens daily and are expected to maintain order and address criminality. This requires ongoing training in communication, and continuous enhancement of the capacity of security personnel, as criminal tactics evolve, and citizens expect a more modern police service.
It is also important to remember that policing amid
these challenges is complex, particularly in the post-COVID time which is
witnessing high levels of social frustration and economic difficulties that
heighten the risk of incidents between police and citizens that could trigger
larger issues.
As the front line between government and citizens,
the police are often the target of social frustration. This makes it critical to
focus on professionalism and discipline in dealing with domestic issues, to
maintain people’s trust in the security system.
The police interact with citizens daily and are
expected to maintain order and address criminality. This requires ongoing
training in communication, and continuous enhancement of the capacity of
security personnel, as criminal tactics evolve, and citizens expect a more
modern police service.
Focusing on reforming the police force is critical
to countering the serious risks and challenges that the country is facing.
These reforms are integral to maintaining internal stability and avoiding
social disorder while addressing increasing criminal activity.
Given that $1.4 billion is spent on public security,
we expect a successful result.
Amer Al-Sabaileh is a Jordanian university professor and geopolitical
expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and international
media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at international
conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
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