Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday said that upgrading the police force is not a short-term project and dirty cops need to be weeded out.
Addressing police officers at a closing ceremony of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Training Programme at the Officers Training Centre on Camp Road, Ramjattan said that it will not be a quick process to upgrade the police force. “This is not T20 cricket…this is test match…so it is not going to happen in 20 overs,” he asserted.
The OPR training programme was facilitated by officials from the United States through the Carib-bean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) and Ramjattan expressed optimism in a police force that will be more equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and tools to fight crime even as he pointed to areas in the force which are in need of upgrades.
According to the minister, there is a lot planned by himself, the Commissioner of Police and President David Granger, who has strategised a five-point plan which will soon be implemented in the fight against crime. Some of the areas he highlighted as part of their plan are strengthening programmes at divisional levels and local and overseas training.
He pointed out that a substantial sum of money was set aside to facilitate training of officers since it is his desire for the police force to move quickly from where it is to where it ought to be. He noted too that all that was requested from Finance Minister Winston Jordan, which included more vehicles, boats and engines along with weapons, was granted.
Ramjattan said that previously officers did not tap into resources available for their upgrade and he identified websites that can help in relation to making accessible certain journals of policing, which is not being utilised by senior ranks. He pointed out too that in relation to amendments that were passed by the National Assembly, senior ranks are not aware of these updates to the laws.
“That is why I urge this inward stretching so that we can reach outwardly… it requires then that you [police officers] doing the learning in your personal education so that you can be a better policeman not [necessarily] because of the training being offered to you but by the virtue of you doing your personal reading and education of yourself,” he said. Ramjattan urged the officers to play their part, while pledging that the police force and the ministry will also do their part.
The Minister also lauded the effort of the officials from the United States through the CBSI along with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for executing the training programme, which he said is much needed in Guyana.
Ramjattan acknowledged that the spate of crimes in Guyana cannot be reduced without members of the public becoming much more confident in the police force. He urged that the officers exhibit courteousness and etiquette, which will reflect a person who is noble and honorable, rather than a person who is “deceptive” and a “bully.”
‘No more RoboCops’
Meanwhile, Ramjattan said that after examining the statistics and looking at some of the recruits in the Force over the years, it was not “good enough.” He pointed to the Leonora torture case, where police officers burnt the genitals of a child at the police station several years ago. Those officers, the minister said, should have been chased out of the police force rather than promoted. “That is obviously not good enough, because that sends the wrong signal to other police officers,” he stressed, while noting that other officers might want to commit similar acts without any fear.
Ramjattan further urged that the police force tighten up in its confidence-building which can only be done by inculcating educational values, especially in the area of retraining and the instilling of better practices and quickly identifying and weeding out “RoboCops” from their midst.
The minister said the force still has a number of person who ought not to be there and he urged the senior ranks to identify those persons. “As minister, I urged that you spot them immediately and ensure that the reports do come so that we can have a police force that is rid of those with disreputable character,” Ramjattan declared.
A police force in which a people can have confidence will result in cooperation with citizens who will not be afraid to bring information to the police, which will help in the reduction of crime, Ramjattan added.
The minister told the senior ranks that their efforts will contribute significantly to a transformed police force. “We emphasise at this point that it is at an individual level that will take the members of the senior ranks to help in that regard…it is your effort at the top that will go a far way in professionalizing and modernising the Guyana Police Force,” Ramjattan stated.
Meanwhile, Chargé d’Affaires at the US embassy Bryan Hunt reminded the police officers that the decisions that they make, actions which they engage in and the transparency with which they carry out their responsibilities will be key to restoring confidence in the GPF.
The US official express-ed appreciation on behalf of the US Government for the partnership and said that the US is waiting on several other collaborative efforts to be implemented to move forward in the fight against crime and drug trafficking. He also praised the efforts to bring training to the Force and encouraged continued partnership to use education and training programs to build a safe, secure and prosperous Guyana.
