A Colonel may end up heading the Guyana Police Force
Nov 09, 2017 , https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...guyana-police-force/
It has been a bad week for the Guyana Police Force, despite the fact that Santa Claus, all the way from China, came with a bag of motor cycles, ATV’s, pick-ups, buses and other goodies.
It is probably the largest donation that the Guyana Police Force has ever received, but there is no certainty how long this equipment is going to last in the hands of the police, whose members have a reputation of mismanaging vehicles.
The donation from China was the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal week for the Guyana Police Force, which has had to deal with disturbing actions by some of its ranks, and the uncertainty surrounding the succession policy within the Force.
Three policemen are under investigation for the murder of a school teacher whose body was found at the side of a road not far from the cemetery. Then another policeman killed himself after unloading his revolver on a female colleague who is now fighting for her life in a city hospital. These actions will only reinforce the view that there is a serious problem with the recruitment policies of the Guyana Police Force.
But the most demoralizing event of all was the suggestion which was made that the government is engaged in well-being talks with the Commissioner of Police. This has led to speculation that there is going to be a shake-up in the leadership of police force.
The speculation follows hot on the heels of the completion of a controversial Commission of Inquiry into an alleged plot to assassinate the President, and an even more controversial report of the COI. The government was forewarned that this COI would have an adverse effect on the morale of the police force. It was advised to pursue a different mechanism, such as an independent review of the investigation into the alleged plot. However, the government was hell bent, for reasons which are obvious even to the mentally challenged, on moving forward with the inquiry.
The police force, already reeling from the fallout from the actions of some of its ranks, is now confronted with the possibility of leadership shakeup. The police force may not recover from this blow. Right now, the entire succession process within the Guyana Police Force is unpredictable. And that is a recipe for disaster in any organization, much less at a time when the citizens of this country are worried about crime.
The British government had better exit their involvement in reforming the security sector. Any reform is going to fail, unless there are steps taken to improve the morale of the Force. The government is destroying the morale of the Guyana Police Force. From the statements being made, it does seem as if not only will the Force be further demoralized, but it is quite possible that an outsider, say from the Guyana Defence
Force, will be catapulted to the next acting Commissioner of Police.
The government clearly has it priorities mixed up when it is speaking about talks with the Commissioner of Police. There is no need for any talks. The Commissioner will proceed on pre-retirement leave and someone has to step-up.
The government is obsessed with control. It wants its own ‘fit and proper’ person to head the Guyana Police Force and, as it has done with the appointment of the Chairperson of GECOM. It is prepared to have its own way, regardless of the consequences for the morale of the Force.
The government ought to know that it cannot remove the Commissioner of Police or any other senior officer, for that matter, on the basis of the findings of a COI. The Commissioner of Police has to be removed following the appointment of a tribunal to examine specified allegations. This is a constitutional requirement.
For the demotion, dismissal or supersession of senior police officers, there has to be a disciplinary hearing by the Police Service Commission. The COI report can be sent to the Police Service Commission, but that does not preclude the Commission observing due process, including launching its own disciplinary proceedings before acting.
Based on media reports, the COI report is likely to be easily discredited once it is made public. So it may not be a credible basis on which to press for the demotion or supersession of anyone.
The government therefore should allow for the Police Service Commission to determine the succession plans of the Guyana Police Force. But, judging from the actions of the government, this would be difficult for it to accept, since it has an obsession with control, and it may very well bring an army officer out of barracks to assume control of the Guyana Police Force.
