Police Commissioner Henry Greene has stressed the concept of `One Station’ and warned that appropriate action would be taken against police ranks who fail to take reports made by members of the public at police stations.
According to a statement from the police, Greene issued the warning while delivering the charge last Friday to the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) first Conference for Inspectors and Sergeants at the Police officer’s Mess Annexe, Eve Leary, telling participants that reports must be accepted from members of the public at whatever station they are made. He stressed that the GPF is “One Station,” and lamented the fact that members of the public were sent from station to station in response to reports.
He also expressed his desire to see urgent action being taken on reports made at stations and quick response to complaints made by members of the public to the Minister of Home Affairs, the Police Complaints Authority, the Commissioner of Police and Divisional Commanders.
The conference was organised around the theme “Frontline Management a Catalyst for Hastened Reform, Effective Partnership and Professional Policing,” police said. Roughly 253 inspectors and sergeants from GPF Divisions and Branches attended the conference.
Greene urged the ranks do be introspective to determine if they were giving of their best on the job and called on them to be mentors of junior ranks while seeking mentors among their seniors. He reminded that as the GPF’s middle managers, they should be role models. He emphasised this responsibility particularly in the areas of dress and conduct. He also stressed that priority should be placed on regular inspection of cash and property, securing the property of members of the public, the care and custody of prisoners, including the rights of prisoners and allowing lawyers access to their clients, including prisoners in the lockups. He also called for “a responsible cell phone culture,” in which they would put the job first and private calls after.
Greene also outlined the need for self development and encouraged participants to apply themselves to their responsibilities in order to improve the image of the force. He called for the embrace of computerisation as a way of the future and to embrace police reform. On the latter point, he cited the establishment of a new forensic laboratory, the creation of a new training environment at Dora on the Linden Highway, the construction of a new training institution to enhance the quality of training locally and facilitate overseas participation and the alteration of police stations initially in Georgetown and Berbice in order to facilitate privacy and confidentiality in handling domestic violence matters, ID parades and the computerisation of police records.
In addition to an overview of crime issues examined at the conference included: Traffic Management; Role and Responsibilities of Inspectors; Police Reform; Financial Management; Domestic Violence; Human Rights; Station Manage-ment; Community Policing; Neigh-bourhood Policing; Police Response to Serious Crime; Supervision of Prisoners in Police Custody; Complaints and Reports; Training; Police Public Relations; and Effective Prosecution.
