Dear Editor,
The time is over-ripe for the establishment of a Behavioural Science Unit in the Guyana Police Force or to make such a facility available to the police. Changes in the society itself, in technology, in the economy, the environment as well as politics have created serious implications for law enforcement.
The face of law enforcement is changing rapidly. Today’s police officer must be part cop, part social worker, part community development worker, part paramedic, part teacher, part computer technician, part pastor, part parent, part mines officer and many other parts, yet at the same time he must not neglect his core functions as set out in section 3(2) of the Police Act Chapter 16:01. Claremont Featherstone in a letter to the Stabroek News, September 25, was on the ball when he posited, “For those who previously felt that the police force was a refuge for uneducated people, think again, police officers are expected to commit, recall, and refine a vast amount of technical information and make split-second decisions which may have lasting effects for years to come. It is Minister Ramjattan’s duty to ensure that police trainers and educators are first and foremost dedicated professionals.”
Over four decades ago Harold Russell and Allan Beigel in analysing the behaviour of police officers explained, “The importance of understanding behaviour in the training of a professional policeman is undisputable. Behaviour is the major phenomenon that the Police Officer must deal with, not only in the behaviour of criminals but also the behaviour of the general public, the behaviour of his family, and his own behaviour.
He can no longer regard the study of behaviour as the sole concern of the psychologist and psychiatrist. He must learn more about behaviour and the behavioural science in order to effectively and safely carry out his job.”
That was true then. It is relevant now and in the future. It fits nicely into Unesco’s imperatives for learning. They are: learn to live together; learn to be; learn to do and learn to learn.
It is imperative that law enforcement officers must be effective communicators; be able to resolve conflicts ‒ not necessarily through the barrel of a gun or assaulting unarmed civilians including women and children; be culturally sensitive; be multi-lingual, fluent in English, Spanish and computer use ‒ remember we have a serious border controversy with Spanish-speaking Venezuela, hence the need for Spanish; be able to deal with self-esteem, emotional intelligence and critical thinking; develop skills, the capacity to act and the ability to apply knowledge; have a solid academic base in terms of reading and numeracy; be able to comprehend and develop the ability to research and analyse. If we are serious about reform, change, a paradigm shift, producing dedicated professional officers, the alteration of habits, attitudes and work behaviours as individuals, team members and as members of the department, then a Behavioural Science Unit to influence behaviour is a sine qua non. I can attest to the benefits that could be derived from dealing with such a facility. My groundings as a graduand and graduate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, Behavioural Science Unit has provided me with the necessary skills and attitude to perform reasonably well in my role as a law enforcement officer, in my interactions with members of the public and relationships with my family. Let the decision makers move with speed like Usain Bolt to make the facility available to the police. To do otherwise will cause the performance of the police to be prosaic.
Yours faithfully,
Clinton Conway
Assistant Commissioner of
Police (rtd)
