By A.A. Fenty
(Bet this will be my briefest offering in weeks!) Attorney-at-law and acting Commissioner of Police, Mr Henry Greene has been quoted (I trust accurately) as saying that “within recent times, the Guyana Police Force has come under tremendous pressure, with recent calls for independent enquiries into recent events.
This gives the impression that the force can no longer investigate, or can no longer be trusted”.
Then, defending his men’s “integrity”, Commissioner Greene explained that his sleuths “investigate impartially” and that outside experts will “find nothing different from what our investigators have unearthed”.
I want to agree with my Commissioner but it takes too much “strain” to do so. I understand the pressure of the under-manned Force waking up every morning to new, horrific, besides routine crimes. Robber cops, corrupt and greedy police youngsters are being arrested every week by the few good ones, who hopefully would not themselves turn rotten with time and temptation. So the Force, as at present constituted, does not really inspire national confidence. But it’s all we’ve got!
Commissions of Enquiry, Reports and Recommendations from overseas experts and a hundred, well-written, informed newspaper editorials will not reform and improve our Police Force in the absence of two general conditions: Pride and Will – and reward and appreciation. Simplistic, you think? Not really. This is my drift.
Since the moral standards and personal family–type values and virtues of the past are history – when men took pride in a job no matter how low the pay, you have to re-kindle, at least, the will to be a professional in the police recruits.
The late Commissioner Lloyd Barker liked to remind us that today’s policemen come from the same imperfect society in which we all live. Their education needs bolstering, social skills low, self-esteem suspect and some join for nefarious “runnings” reasons. They know of the “low” pay up front. I wonder how they deal with all that at Training School. The “better” candidates don’t opt for the Police Force. Their “standing and education take them elsewhere. To become citizens who will later criticize the same force.
What is to be done?
Just as we should offer a wee bit more praise to our nurses – (teachers get it) – we should commend the good cops more often. I especially appreciate when they “lock up” their own villain cops. I like the yearly incentives and I support still better pay for the risks good cops take.
I expect that intense training for our CID detectives is on-going. “It stands to reason”, as a pal of mine would say. But do you know that when the Honourable Gail Teixeira was Home Affairs Minister she wondered, publicly, whether our detectives looked at such series as Law and Order, Cold Case, CSI, Criminal Minds, etc. etc.
Now from young I loved “detective movies”. There were many popular Private Investigators who would detect and uncover for the prosecutors to present in court. But Minister Gail was speaking about Professionalism, Doggedness, Detail, Techniques (Scientific and Administrative). Commissioner Greene will then request similar laboratories, manpower to rush to crime scenes, wire taps with legislation, authority to subpoena bank/insurance records, medical confidentialities and such like.
Strangely (?) the Trinidadians are way ahead of us in these acquisitions and facilities. They even have Surveillance Blimps in the air. But?
I close inconclusively: as the Sunday Stabroek this past Sunday asked – could our security operatives learn anything from the astonishing Colombian army rescue of the hostages held by rebels for years? I wonder if the Americans ever collaborate with our CID/Narcotics people anymore. So that our fellows learn. I understand Americans would actually allow some Cocaine Couriers to pass through the airports. They want to find collectors/sources.
Some foreign detectives would allow Skinny to “Escape” custody. To trace him to you-know-who, you-know–where. Perhaps I myself have been watching too much T.V. Too many “detective movies”. But still, we have to hope that our few good cops are up to their tasks.
Carifesta for the wider world
Both President Jagdeo and Culture Minister Anthony eventually let on regarding one of Carifesta Ten’s objectives: that the world far beyond the Caribbean must both attend and participate, in Guyana in August.
I know things can change. Countries can change their minds. And I want my Guyanese/Caribbean flavour to dominate my Carifesta Ten Cook-Up. However, Dr Frank Anthony excites me. Read these reports:
“According to Dr Anthony, Indonesia has confirmed that it will be sending a 25-member delegation to Guyana to take part in the festival of arts that marks a return to its land of origin.
“We started out with the original intent of having to showcase our (Caribbean) creativity, but people around the world now want to join us in expressing their creativity as well… The excitement is out there and more and more people are joining us … We have had expressions of interest from countries in Africa and China.
“According to Dr Anthony, a symposium to be held with the region’s intellects during the hosting of Carifesta will be an important feature of the cultural fiesta and its future.
He noted that, in the developed world, culture earns a significant part of those countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP). `Why can’t we do that there?’
“The Carifesta Secretariat has already indicated that the member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); continental neighbours Brazil and Venezuela; Austria and groups and individuals in Haiti, Puerto Rico, Britain, the USA, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria are among those who have already signalled their interest and intention to participate fully in Carifesta X, scheduled to be hosted here in August.
“The European country Austria has already registered and confirmed participation in Carifesta X in the Visual Arts and Symposia.”
Until…
■ 1 Please, let an experienced joint private sector-government Group manage the government-owned buses. The thing can work in the right hands.
Call it working-peoples’ transport company. Identify your maintenance crews, dispatchers, admin and spare parts people now. Let there be special express buses. More later.
■ 2 Bring “beautiful” nearby Brazilian buses!
■ 3 Do we know how many we really are? Can we conduct a census if we can’t get registration done in six months? Bureau of Statistics, Two ministries, GRO, GECOM?
■ 4 Great stuff NCN! Congratulations NCN TV. Transmission of last Saturday’s boxing was reasonably superb! Live, without interruption. Some flaws but overall great. Onto Carifesta.
■ 5 Yes, it’s time for the Guyana Cook-up Show to return!
‘Til next week!
Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com
