Dear Editor,
It was bound to happen.
Notwithstanding the Commander-in-Chief’s pleadings that he wants incorruptible and unbribable Officers to lead the Guyana Police Force (GPF), ironically, quite the opposite has transpired under his watch.
Senior ranks who are perceived to be politically favoured are prone to flaunt their political plumage while strutting the passageways at Force HQ knowing full well that the penalties inherent in the Standing Orders of the GPF and Police Disciplinary Act are applicable to them should they be found guilty of violating the rules.
Perception became reality when a coterie of five Deputy Commissioners were handpicked at the conclusion of a Commission of Inquiry held in July 2017.
The COI was established to address ostensibly, ‘serious deficiencies in the Guyana Police Force,’ in effect, the strategic objective was to weed out a number of officers considered unacceptable to the Granger-led administration.
The appointments by their very nature, came across as intimidatory. They sent a strong political signal to subordinate ranks, who in turn, began expressing serious trepidations over ways and means of executing their duties professionally, while at the same time not allowing themselves to be demotivated in doing so.
It was precisely in that environment, that subordinate ranks came to the realization that they would suffer unbearable consequences should they be unprepared to kowtow to illegal orders by those, over whose heads, rested politically inspired halos indicating their Most Politically Favoured (MPF) status in the GPF.
Experience has shown that in any public service institution, where some are perceived to be politically favoured over others, there is bound to be institutional turmoil, fueled by discriminatory practices by those incapable of handling the prestige of power.
In the case of the GPF, officers perceived to be politically favoured over those who were not, are known to take advantage of their superior status to the extent of abusing the powers vested in them within the meaning of the Police Act.
Few Guyanese would lose sleep over ‘breaking news’ revealing that a favoured senior rank in the GPF was ‘found in bed’ with a shady character known to be involved in criminal/corrupt activities.
Worse yet, in the context of an evolving police/civilian culture such revelations have come to be generally recognized as police/criminal concubinage.
Once it is established that there are favoured and knowingly corrupt senior or subordinate ranks embedded in the Force, and who, because of their political connections, are considered ‘Holy Cows’ there will be no end to the corruption syndrome impacting the GPF.
But it is precisely this pretentious and sanctimonious predisposition on the part of those perceived to be politically favoured that feeds the incestuous inbreeding of corruption, disrespect and indiscipline within the GPF.
Perhaps the most embarrassing aspect to this matter was the fact that the damaging expose from junior ranks at ‘B’ division caught the attention of the media. Suffice it to say, that junior police ranks tend to be bypassed and attract little or no respect from superior officers especially those perceived to be politically favoured.
As it turned out, Eve Leary mistakenly surmised that, after a few weeks, the story would subside and eventually disappear from the pages of the newspapers. They probably calculated, that the media would go after elections related stories rather than heeding the alarm bells sounded by the aggrieved ranks at ‘B’ division.
However, to the surprise and utter disdain of some members of the Police Service Commission (PSC) as well as the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) the media persisted, it was not assuaged by constant assurances from Force Headquarters to the effect that; ‘the matter is being investigated.’
It was not until the government and the leadership of the Force were brought under the full glare of the public, that the Force’s failure to respond promptly and professionally was about to become a major scandal that it was announced that an investigation was being launched and the officer involved was directed to stand down.
It took persistent reporting on the part of media to jolt the subject minister out of his slumber and flush out those guilty of inertia before the prime suspect could be identified and hauled before the court of public opinion.
Incidentally, this is not the first time this particular officer came to the attention of the public. Earlier this year, a controversy arose over the date of his enlistment in the GPF and concomitantly, the date of his last working day which some say should have been on February 1, 2019.
The Minister of Public Security, not the PSC intervened in the matter defending the retention of the just appointed Deputy Commissioner (Crime).
Since the Crime Chief’s appointment, unwelcome changes have been effected regarding the stationing of Divisional Detective Officers (DDO’s) at ‘B’ Division.
The situation is compounded by the fact that an important police division as East Berbice is saddled with a Commander with years of experience as Head of the Immigration Department of the GPF while his deputy spent most of his life at the forensic laboratory of the Force.
Small wonder why Berbicians are under constant pressure by the criminal enterprise in that region.
Just as the ‘serious deficiencies’ in 2017 warranted a COI, in the same way the serious deficiencies at ‘B’ division need urgent, professional attention.
The situation in Berbice is further aggravated by allegations of police corruption and complicity with criminal elements.
This is why regular polygraphing of both senior and subordinate ranks of the GPF is so critical if professionalism and honesty is to prevail within the ranks of the Force from top to bottom.
In the circumstances, the call by the Opposition PPP for ‘a wider probe since what is at stake is public confidence in the leadership of the Force and a test of the commitment to address the issue of corruption’ is justifiable and should be supported by all those who support the view that public confidence in policing is best served by robust and independent oversight.
Yours faithfully,
Clement J. Rohee
Former Minister of Home Affairs
