Minister of Home of Affairs Clement Rohee recently told the top brass of the Guyana Police Force that he was concerned about the conditions of some police lock-ups and he singled out the East La Penitence facility.
“Of great concern to me is the condition in which some police lock-ups are being kept. A case in point is the female lock-ups, at the East La Penitence Police Station,” he said in a presentation he made to the Police Officers’ Conference last week. His presentation, which was embargoed for one week, did not, however, indicate the improvements that would be made to the lock-ups. Recently, there have been growing complaints about the condition of the East La Penitence lock-ups, where female detainees are forced to sleep on the concrete floor and endure the stench of filthy toilets.
Red Thread, the Guyana Human Rights Association, and the women’s arms of the People’s Progressive Party and People’s National Congress Reform all sounded their concern over the state of the lock-ups to this newspaper. The facility houses female prisoners who are yet to appear in court or those transferred from the New Amsterdam Prison for court hearings in Georgetown.
Two recent inmates had recounted horror stories about the conditions of the facility during their incarceration. The lock-ups are made up of three cells; one for juveniles and two for adults. There are two toilets and one bathroom. According to one of the former inmates, while she was there the cells were filled and they were forced to sleep in the passageway. The woman had disclosed that the older women fought to sleep in the passageway because it is tiled and is not as cold as the concrete in the cells.
Questions had been sent to Rohee by this newspaper on the state of the lock-ups but he is yet to respond.
Meanwhile, during his presentation Rohee noted that while daily reports are being received of visits being made to police stations by supervisory ranks, there is little evidence that follow-up action is being taken when defects are discovered. “The Ministry of Home Affairs is still in receipt of complaints about the inappropriate conduct, and in some instances corrupt practices, by some police ranks,” he told the officers. He advised them that the application of the Police Standing Orders and the Police Discipline Act should be used along with other legal instruments to address this continuing problem.
An analysis of many of the complaints that find their way to his office, Rohee said, seemed to suggest that in many instances they are avoidable. However, poor judgment by the junior ranks and inadequate supervision by their supervisors are responsible for the situations escalating and in some instances ending up in the court, where all parties are prosecuted.
Further, the minister said, it is alleged that some ranks take it upon themselves to become “travelling magistrates” and attempt to settle matters for a fee, in some instances. “The senior ranks have to place themselves in positions where they ought to know about these transgressions that are being committed by ranks, and take appropriate action. More use of the Office of Professional Responsibility could assist in this regard,” he added.
Addressing the image of the force, Rohee stated that reports have been received that some ranks, even at the officer level, are seen associating with persons of “dubious character.” “From such associations, certain negative inferences could be drawn, thus affecting the good image of the Guyana Police Force. All ranks are urged to be more prudent in their choice of associates. This matter strikes at the core of the efficiency of the Force, and must be addressed without delay,” he said. This issue had been raised before when many serving police ranks were openly seen socialising with drug kingpin Roger Khan and his associates. A number of them abandoned the force and became full time employees of Khan.
Rohee also berated the Office of the Commissioner of Police for its poor response to letters of complaints, specific requests and other matters that require the intervention of senior managers of the Force. “I am totally disappointed with the lethargy that has been demonstrated by the senior management of the Force in treating with correspondence that are being sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Office of the Commissioner of Police,” he stated.
He said that the standard response received by the Ministry is in the form of an acknowledgement, followed by the receipt of substantive responses that take months, and, in some instances, as much as a year. The minister said even when responses are received they do not always carry objective comments to aid him in decision-making.
According to Rohee, at the moment there are twenty-one specific pieces of correspondence outstanding before him, dealing with varying issues that are awaiting responses from the Commissioner’s Office. He said that number does not come close to the actual number of correspondences that are still to be concluded between the Ministry, and the Office of the Commissioner of Police.
