Dear Editor,
Police ranks within the Essequibo Magisterial District of Region 2 are derelict in their responsibility to submit returns of service expeditiously in court matters. It is important for this to be done as it is the only means of satisfying the court that service has been effected on a respondent. I can’t imagine that the police are not fully cognizant of the fact that without a return of service in the case jacket, the proceedings will remain stalled.

While in the Suddie court at the end of January, I saw several mothers seeking affiliation orders, but who had their cases postponed because there were no returns of service. There was nothing else they could do although they had personally delivered their respective summonses at various police stations from where returns of service had to be sent to the court, although none had been.

Through no fault of the mothers, they have to keep wasting precious time and expending hard-to-get money which could have been better utilized. The survival of children is involved here, and it would only be proper for Minister of Human Services Priya Manickchand to hold discussions with the Commissioner of Police in order to bring about improvements.

Yours faithfully,
Baliram Persaud

Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Commissioner of Police Henry Greene for any comments he might wish to make.