Dear Editor,
Looking at the problems faced by law enforcement at different levels makes one understandably worried about whether the end of that tunnel will come into sight any time soon. For one thing I am impressed by the number of courses and programmes conducted by the police training establishment. What is not so clear is the effectiveness of the curriculum delivery. I would argue for a rationalisation of the number and content of topics in terms of their continued desirability and relevance, particularly at this time when public sentiment is not as it should be.
I may be a bit unfair to suggest a shorter stint in the residential training environment and more practical in-field orientation and training under effective supervision, but at this juncture we need radical solutions. One such solution may be to solicit the services of past members of the Guyana Police Force; men and women who would have served and departed honourably either in retirement or through resignation. Mentoring is an area where I feel the influence of past members could play a significant role.
Editor, there is much which commends that course of action in circumstances where the force does not seem to be utilising all available human resources to confront and bring things to a state acceptable to all residing within these borders. I think of the many past members of the force around and recognise that with their structured input our quality of life could be greatly improved particularly with respect to law enforcement administration and crime prevention and road traffic control. The point I am making is that none of us has a monopoly on law enforcement administration or its operations, and therefore it makes all the more sense to reach out.
There should be no significant inhibiting factors to employing past members in certain areas of the force. This is obvious if we are to think that with professional experience available locally it automatically provides opportunities for more persons to be exposed at lower cost. What this means is that external funding which would have gone into training one or two individuals with no guarantee of knowledge and skills transfer, could then be tied into other developmental areas with wider beneficiary groupings. I am hopeful that this suggestion is helpful in the interest of our national development.
Yours faithfully,
Patrick E Mentore
