All police ranks answering telephones at police stations will now have to give their rank and name to callers in keeping with instructions recently handed down by the administration of the Guyana Police Force.
The new rule which comes into effect on March 1, 2008 follows investigations surrounding the poor response at the Vigilance Police station recently, a police press release said on Friday. On the morning of January 26 when 11 Lusignan residents were slaughtered by a gang of gunmen investigations have confirmed that residents had called the police and alerted them while gunmen were still creating mayhem in the community.
At one time residents said they were told that one police station did not have enough personnel and were advised to call another police station. The police finally responded to the calls two hours after when 11 persons were already killed and the gunmen had made good their escape.
President Bharrat Jagdeo has promised that telephone records would be sought and disciplinary action taken once the officers were found to be in dereliction of their duties.
Subsequently a senior officer was transferred and the Office of Professional Responsibility is said to be conducting investigations and similar action may be taken against other officers, this newspaper was told.
