Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud says that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has taken steps to address allegations of abuse levelled at its ranks.
He was speaking at the GPF’s annual awards ceremony held last Tuesday.
In May, reports surfaced that Junior Thornton, a 19-year-old who had been arrested for loitering, had suffered abuse at the hands of the police while in custody at the Sparendaam police station. According to the young man, his hands had been doused with methylated spirits and set afire.
Two weeks ago, two officers attached to the police station appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court in connection with the matter. One was charged with perverting the course of justice and the other with causing grievous bodily harm. The men were placed on $100,000 and $125,000 bail respectively.
“There are a number of initiatives taken to prevent the abuses,” Persaud said. “You would have seen from the Sparendaam incident that the investigation was completed much faster than those before,” he continued.
According to Persaud, ranks who dealt with the issue “unprofessionally” and encouraged such abuses were charged criminally with obstructing the course of justice. A number of departmental disciplinary charges are likely to follow, he added.
Strategic Plan
Persaud also gave an update on the Force’s Strategic Plan. According to the top cop, there has been a change in the decision-making structure with an executive leadership team addressing policy and a performance group addressing operations. He further stated that the force has adopted a procedure to make decisions on the basis of research and analysis.
“In policing today’s society that is punctuated with youth gangs and organized crime such as narco-trafficking, firearms trafficking, money laundering, trafficking in persons, etc., a police force that is proactive is absolutely necessary,” Persaud emphasised.
The approach also includes the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of plans, he said while adding that action plans for priority areas of the Strategic Plan were prepared with implementation already underway at the Force’s headquarters and in the divisions.
Noting several of the Force’s accomplishments, including the dismantling of the ‘Hot Skull’ gang in Albouystown, the recapture of four prisoners who had escaped from the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts complex as well as the recovery of stolen gold from Port Kaituma, Persaud promised “that kind of capacity and collaboration which was demonstrated will continue to grow.”
The top cop also disclosed that the Force is in the process of implementing an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).
In its first phase, the EDMS will see the GPF’s personnel, financial, and stores record moving from paper to electronic databases.
Community-based projects were also mentioned by the commissioner who said that the introduction of a Community Relations Branch is imminent. In addition, he said, each division now has several community-based projects, including the popular Project Impact Albouystown launched earlier this year.
Two weeks ago, Project C-PETS (Creating Positive Environments through Safer Communities) was launched in ‘D’ Division while other planned projects will be launched soon. A suicide hotline is also in the works.
In an effort to stimulate closer relations with communities, a GPF chaplain has been recently appointed to handle ceremonies and “coordinate among faith-based organisations and experts in the Guyana Police Force to provide counselling to frontline ranks who would have encountered a traumatic experience,” Persaud said. A project to establish a liaison to victims of serious crimes is also underway.
