Oman, as a nation, has matured and grown in so many ways during the last five decades since His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos came to power.
If we look at the cornerstones of what is required to be a progressive, developing nation, then surely Oman would meet the criteria to be seen as a ‘yuppie’ nation on the global scene, to use a phrase coined during the 80’s to describe the young, upwardly mobile, population.
Certainly, there has been astonishing progress in the area of a national roadways, transport and communications infrastructure, with the key element of that being the absolute quality of the roads. The road accident and injury statistics are more a reflection upon personal responsibility than the roads themselves. The education sector initially focused upon the provision of educational facilities for basic and secondary education, but in the last 15 years the higher education sector has simply mushroomed. Maybe the structure is not quite right yet? However, even Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The health sector appears to be going through a phase of rationalisation. This was surely to be expected as there is somewhat less need for health services as the population becomes more healthy and access to healthcare for all is beyond reproach.
Oman has a strong economy, which will probably continue to be reliant upon oil and gas for some time yet, though maybe not at the $100 per barrel rate ever again. Tourism, aquaculture, science and technology would appear to be avenues of development with the most potential for the country.
Most clearly, and in line with the Omani culture, and HM Sultan Qaboos’s strong vision for the region and the world as a whole, is the growing respect held globally for the Sultanate’s role as a peace-broker and a voice of moderation on the diplomatic stage. Oman has been at the forefront of international diplomacy, working quietly and achieving an astonishing level of resolution of conflict.
I just have a single thought to share, to throw out for discussion, in terms of keeping the social development of the nation on an upward curve. I wonder if the delivery of community services, especially in the areas of health, welfare, and in particular, policing, could take on a greater community-based approach?
I believe that community policing could impact significantly on keeping the community safer in many respects if community policing was to be implemented here, with the local policemen being accessible, identifiable, and responsive to the special requirements of their communities in a great many ways.
It would, of course, require a great deal of diversification for the community policeman to be effective, but I certainly feel that there would be sufficient candidates within the ROP, who would jump at the opportunity to offer even more to their home communities.
The main thing is that communities would have a reference point for everything. If you lose something, you know where to go and whom to see. If there is any issue that anyone feels has the potential to become a real problem, it can be ‘nipped in the bud,’ almost informally.
The local policemen would become known to the community, and the community will become known to them, which is of significant assistance in the creation of school programmes on traffic enforcement, minor misdemeanor control, and round-the-clock support and advice.
Above all else, the community police station becomes a one-stop-shop for all community and societal issues.
There are those who feel, in the Western world, that community policing is a thing of the past, and it is being widely devolved from global police frameworks, still, considering this time and place, I believe it has much to offer.
Ray Petersen
petersen_ray@hotmail.com
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