Dear Editor,
From the press release of Sunday, May 12, 2013 adverting to the appointment of “civilians” to the newly created Department of Strategic Management in the Guyana Police Force, it is well understood that the appointees are already at work, having been chosen by a select committee on which, reportedly, there was private sector representation. The touting of the latter presence is however less relevant than the strong implication that the constitutional body which approves senior appointments in the Guyana Police Force has not been mentioned.
Interested stakeholders must wonder why the Police Service Commission, to all appearances, has been excluded from this vaunted transformational exercise, in which the Public Service Ministry must also be statutorily involved.
How could a Department of a public service agency, not itself be part of the public service? Surely an explanation should be required by both the commission and the related ministry.
If, on the other hand, the ‘civilians’ are not to be considered ‘public servants’ then that status should be publicly acknowledged. For one thing, as ‘contracted civilians’ they would not be eligible for the (hitherto) annual salary increase distributed by the administration to public service employees. But perhaps an equal (if not greater) concern surrounds the respective track records of its members, and the cumulative capacity of the department, to fulfil the overall objective of ‘reforming’ the behaviour, performance and productivity of the Guyana Police Force. A quick review of the published capabilities reveals the following range of educational interests:
Economists – 3; Humanities/Theological Studies-1; Political Science- 1; Communications – 2; Business-2; Nursing- 1.
At a glance there is an absence of any competence in the behavioural sciences that will assure stakeholders, including the Commissioner of Police, that there would be no deficit in the delivery of the rehabilitation process. Indeed one may ask about the location of the authority that will monitor and evaluate the performance of these ‘reformers.’
As an addendum the following extracts from the Constitution of Guyana may serve as useful references:
“210. (1) The Police Service Commission shall consist of-
(a) Chairman appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition from among members appointed under subparagraph (c);
(b) the Chairman of the Public Service Commission;
(c) four members appointed by the President upon nomination by the National Assembly after it has consulted such bodies as appear to it to represent the majority of the members of the Police Force and any other such body it deems fit:
Provided that a person should be disqualified for appointment as a member of the Commission if he is a public officer.”
“211. (1) The Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police shall be appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and Chairperson of the Police Service Commission after the Chairperson has consulted with the Other members of the Commission.”
“212. (1) Subject to the provisions of article 211 (1), the power to make appointments to any offices in the Police Force of or the above rank of Inspector, the power to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices and the power to remove such persons from office shall vest in the Police Service Commission.”
Yours faithfully,
E B John
