Suriname Top Cop: Continuous evaluation of police integrity needed

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The police force should be evaluated more often, said police commissioner Krishna Mathoera at a discussion day held yesterday. The event was organized especially to upgrade the integrity within the police force. Individual police officers should evaluate their actions more often. “We should not avoid discussing this issue with society, because we need to find out what their opinion about this is,” Mathoera says.

A panel comprising police commissioner Agnes Daniel, psychologist Harry Mungra and political scientist Hans Breeveld dealt with questions from police officers. The results from this discussion should positively affect the individual police officer as well as the entire force. Acting Chief of Police Humphrey Tjin Liep Shie considered the panel discussion held in the University Guesthouse quite productive. He admitted to de Ware Tijd that never before such a discussion on police integrity has been held. It is clear to him that the characteristics of unacceptable behavior should be recorded as well as ways to recognize, prevent and deal with this behavior.

In his closing remarks, the Chief announced he will maintain his hard stance against police officers who stain the organization with an unacceptable attitude. A police officer told de Ware Tijd that he supports the force’s integrity policy, but he thinks that the police leadership should also focus on the positive things police officers do. ‘Good behavior should be encouraged.’ Another police officer suggested that unacceptable behavior stems from discontent over low salaries. The police officers also criticized the number of recruits scheduled to be selected for a job.