– academy head
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has been surpassing its recruitment targets, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commandant of the Police Academy, Stephen Conway told a recruitment exercise in Linden.
Addressing about 26 young people of the Linden Station Management Committee (LSMC)/Police Scouts who were being interviewed at a special meeting, Conway also said the GPF is continuing to seek new recruits.
According to him, so far for this year the academy has recruited 276 persons, compared with 246 recruits for last year. He was confident that by the end of this year, the recruitment target would be surpassed by 100, based on the current nationwide recruitment exercise.
“We are doing fairly well in terms of recruitment,” he said, adding that the situation is contrary to a recent report in the Kaieteur News that suggested it had fallen below its target.
Conway and a team of junior ranks visited Linden, following an invitation from the Linden Station Management Committee, to have age appropriate members of the local scouts interviewed for possible enlistment into the GPF. The youths, aged 17 years and above, have all expressed the interest in joining the force.
Speaking with the Stabroek News, some of them said that their interest was aroused by the Commissioner of Police Henry Greene, who has shown great interest in their livelihood. “Since I join the police scouts, I get a different picture of the police. We get so much encouragement from the commissioner, who also sends good words of encouragement to us. He always makes sure that we get all we need for our [scouting] activities and meeting,” one of them said, adding, “We still waiting for the occasion for him to come and pow wow with us soon.”
Conway, during a simple introductory ceremony, told the small gathering that persons from age 17 years are eligible to be interviewed and once successful would be taken on a six-month intense training course. This provides the opportunities for recruits to learn the laws of Guyana, take statements and reports, investigate matters, and look at traffic and many other police-related matters and procedures. In addition to policing, the young hopefuls were elated to learn that they would also be involved in including sports and cultural activities. “So we are looking for people who have at least a sound primary education. You must have a base and we can develop on that. Also, we want the high flyers with the ten and the 12 CXCs. Many senior officers joined the police force with just their birth certificates but before they retired they had university certificates,” Conway said.
