Henry Greene should be confirmed as Commissioner of Police

Dear Editor,

I strongly believe that the Commissioner of Police, Acting, Mr Henry Greene, should be confirmed at the earliest. Not having a commissioner confirmed is dangerous and demotivating. While Mr Greene is a professional to his heart and bone and will produce the maximum, I believe that human beings, being as they are, usually hold back some of their ‘fire and power’ until confirmed, otherwise the replacement benefits from their ideas.

We have already seen much success since his appointment, and I respect him because he listens with interest, and implements the ideas of others when they are sound and productive in relation to crime-fighting. He is known to be approachable and helps when he can within the limits of law, and enforces the law fairly and fearlessly to the point that he has had many of his own ranks charged for offences they have committed.

I recall when serving as President of the Guyana Association for Private Security Organizations (GAPSO) for the last two years, I raised serious issues about the slow processing of supernumerary constables, and in consultation with our executive and members, Mr Greene thoroughly studied our problem and addressed the matter in detail, observing the bugbears and eliminating them one by one. Sadly, the processing of SCs was a painful process for security companies, which took six months to almost two years in some cases to complete. With new systems put in place by the Commissioner, now security ranks can be processed and trained within a few weeks.

During my presidential term of GAPSO, we also endorsed Mr Greene’s appointment as Commissioner and recommended his confirmation. While serving as Commissioner of Law and Order, I recommended his appointment and showed why confirmation is important in crime-fighting.

Mr Greene has followed through the rank structure of the police service.  He is a dedicated and professional public servant. He is a patriot. He served in administration and crime in the police service. He is a qualified attorney at law, and he is not known to be egotistical. As a result of all of the above and much more, and as a respected citizen of this country, I encourage the government to confirm Mr Henry Greene as Commissioner of Police.

Yours faithfully,
Roshan Khan