Dear Editor,
Recently a post from the Guyana Police Force on social media caught my attention. It stated that the “Force has taken a decision to change the name of the Felix Austin Police College to the Guyana Police Force Academy”. The post went on to “invite interested artists and designers to submit a logo and slogan designed for the Academy”, by 12.00 hours on Thursday July 28, 2022. The winning entry will be awarded $300.000.00 cash.
Very little that is done by the people who are presently in command of the Force surprises me. However, I must admit that this post did.
I asked myself whether this is a deliberate effort to erase or re-write the history of the Guyana Police Force, which recently observed its 183rd anniversary.
What next?
Prior to achieving independence on May 26, 1966, Commissioners of the Guiana Police Force were appointed from among British Nationals, as the country was then a British Colony. However, since then Commissioners of Police in Guyana have been appointed from among Guyanese Nationals.
Who was Felix Austin?
Felix Wilton Austin, Esq, DSS, QPM, CPM was appointed Commissioner of Police on January 1,1967 thus becoming the first Guyanese Police Commissioner after the country attained independence.
Mr. Felix Wilton Austin (4356) joined the British Guiana Police Force on March 5, 1936 after relinquishing his job as a primary school teacher. He was promoted corporal in 1946, Sergeant in 1947, Sub-Inspector in 1953, Assistant Superintendent in 1954, Deputy Superintendent in 1958, Superintendent in 1959 and Senior Superintendent in 1964. He acted as Assistant Commissioner Training and Operations before he was appointed Commissioner of Police.
His rapid advancement through the ranks during the colonial era is testimony to his outstanding ability as a policeman.
Mr. Felix Austin received training from the Scottish Police College, Tullialan, and the United States of America and Canada on a Police Executive Course.
During his service he was the founder of the Police Literary and Debating Section of the Police Sports Club, a founder member of the Police Male Voice Choir of which he became Chairman, and a militant member of the Police Federation (now Police Association).
He was a marksman and represented the Force overseas on more than one occasion. He also served as the Police Welfare Officer.
He passed during 2000 in the United States of America.
During his term as Commissioner he introduced the first Police motto “Service with Pride”, which was changed by his successor, Carl “Bobo” Austin, to “Service and Protection”, which it still is today.
After his retirement from the Force he migrated to the United States of America.
The Police Training School, which was the institution responsible for the recruitment and training of police ranks was located at Police Head-quarters Eve Leary, Georgetown and was established in 1956.
The Police Training School gained the status of a college and was renamed the Felix Austin Police College on August 28, 1987, as a tribute to Guyana’s first post-independence Commissioner of Police.
After the establishment of the police training facility in 1990 at Adventure on the Corentyne, Berbice, that facility was named Felix Austin Police College “B” Division.
Another police training facility was established at Suddie on the Essequibo Coast. That facility was named the Richard Faikall Police College, in honour of Detective Corporal 11117 Richard Faikall who was killed in 1997 during a bank robbery at the Guyana National Co-operative Bank, Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.
I hope that the persons who took the decision to erase the name of the first Commissioner of Police after Guyana gained independence from the police training institution in Georgetown will reconsider this decision.
I noted the proposed new name “The Guyana Police Academy”. As a lover of comedy movies I remember the hilarious Police Academy series of the 1980’s and therefore wonder if this is a sequel to that series.
I end with a quote from Marcus Garvey:
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Slowe, CCH, DSM, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ret’d)
