APNU, AFC differ on approach to police reform
Written by Kwesi Isles
Saturday, 01 October 2011 16:51
Source
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee with Police Commissioner Henry Greene behind him.
The primary opposition contenders in this year’s election race, AFC and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), are united in their belief that improving Guyana’s public security profile is critical to the nation’s development but they are at odds on how to reform the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
AFC presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan and his APNU counterpart David Granger were presenters on Friday evening at a civil society-organised event to get the candidates’ perspective on the reformation of policing in Guyana at Cara Lodge. The PPP’s Donald Ramotar was absent and a letter was read which stated that he had prior commitments.
The candidates were asked by an attendee whether they thought Guyana needed to go the route of some Caricom countries and import police talent, an option to which retired army brigadier and security consultant Granger was opposed.
“I do believe that there are enough professional police officers still in the Guyana Police Force to rehabilitate the force. I know that under a previous Commissioner only around 2005 a taskforce was set up to reform the police force. There was a huge pile of recommendations and I don’t think we need to get somebody from Norway to implement those recommendations.
What we need is a minister who hasn’t had his US visa suspended, a Commissioner who hasn’t had his US visa suspended and a team of honest officers to implement those plans; it’s not rocket science,” Granger stated.
Former Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and current Police Commissioner Henry Greene have both had their US visas revoked while current Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee had publicly acknowledged experiencing delays in acquiring his visa.
Good governmental guidance, he added, was imperative.
Ramjattan for his part said his party believes that an infusion of overseas-based skills was needed and he singled out Interpol and the British Scotland Yard as two entities that could be approached for assistance.
“That is a big part of what the Alliance For Change has been talking about since 2006 because our police force, whatever its population, has gotten so incestuous with corruption at the very highest levels that it requires an infusion of outside intervention; I honestly believe that,” the AFC candidate said.
He added that there will be a certain culture which will resist outside input but if Guyanese want a brand new architecture for the force then that is the way to go.
‘Just like how we send them for training … we bring down the superintendants an they exhibit their approaches to modern crime solving and even how to take right down to a statement and how to prosecute in the court and things like that,” Ramjattan said.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Police Commissioner is Canadian.
Earlier, Ramjattan had posited that there was a nexus between growth and development and a secure climate, which he said could only come about when the people conquer their fears of going public.
According to him, there needs to be a citizenry that understands the rights and obligations of citizens to ensure they are bold enough to express themselves with “accuracy and authenticity.”
“Those things can only be cultivated I believe when you have a professional police force and an administration that want that kind of culture come forth. I do not see that as being the situation today ...” Ramjattan stated.
Granger in his presentation agreed that solving the public security problems was key to national development. He added that APNU was committed to “professionalising the police force once again” by giving it the resources it needs.
“The police force is 20 percent under strength, that’s a big part of the problem. There are simply not enough boots on the ground to police this country; there’s no point trying to prop up the police force with neighbourhood policing and community policy,” he said.
Granger added that there was also a need to pay the police more, a point that Ramjattan had also made. The APNU representative also called for the strengthening of the Criminal Investigations Department which he accused the government of neutering.
Friday’s event was organised by Facing the Future, a coalition of civic organisations which has taken as its mandate pushing for a more inclusive and transparent system of government.
Written by Kwesi Isles
Saturday, 01 October 2011 16:51
Source
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee with Police Commissioner Henry Greene behind him.The primary opposition contenders in this year’s election race, AFC and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), are united in their belief that improving Guyana’s public security profile is critical to the nation’s development but they are at odds on how to reform the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
AFC presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan and his APNU counterpart David Granger were presenters on Friday evening at a civil society-organised event to get the candidates’ perspective on the reformation of policing in Guyana at Cara Lodge. The PPP’s Donald Ramotar was absent and a letter was read which stated that he had prior commitments.
The candidates were asked by an attendee whether they thought Guyana needed to go the route of some Caricom countries and import police talent, an option to which retired army brigadier and security consultant Granger was opposed.
“I do believe that there are enough professional police officers still in the Guyana Police Force to rehabilitate the force. I know that under a previous Commissioner only around 2005 a taskforce was set up to reform the police force. There was a huge pile of recommendations and I don’t think we need to get somebody from Norway to implement those recommendations.
What we need is a minister who hasn’t had his US visa suspended, a Commissioner who hasn’t had his US visa suspended and a team of honest officers to implement those plans; it’s not rocket science,” Granger stated.
Former Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and current Police Commissioner Henry Greene have both had their US visas revoked while current Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee had publicly acknowledged experiencing delays in acquiring his visa.
Good governmental guidance, he added, was imperative.
Ramjattan for his part said his party believes that an infusion of overseas-based skills was needed and he singled out Interpol and the British Scotland Yard as two entities that could be approached for assistance.
“That is a big part of what the Alliance For Change has been talking about since 2006 because our police force, whatever its population, has gotten so incestuous with corruption at the very highest levels that it requires an infusion of outside intervention; I honestly believe that,” the AFC candidate said.
He added that there will be a certain culture which will resist outside input but if Guyanese want a brand new architecture for the force then that is the way to go.
‘Just like how we send them for training … we bring down the superintendants an they exhibit their approaches to modern crime solving and even how to take right down to a statement and how to prosecute in the court and things like that,” Ramjattan said.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Police Commissioner is Canadian.
Earlier, Ramjattan had posited that there was a nexus between growth and development and a secure climate, which he said could only come about when the people conquer their fears of going public.
According to him, there needs to be a citizenry that understands the rights and obligations of citizens to ensure they are bold enough to express themselves with “accuracy and authenticity.”
“Those things can only be cultivated I believe when you have a professional police force and an administration that want that kind of culture come forth. I do not see that as being the situation today ...” Ramjattan stated.
Granger in his presentation agreed that solving the public security problems was key to national development. He added that APNU was committed to “professionalising the police force once again” by giving it the resources it needs.
“The police force is 20 percent under strength, that’s a big part of the problem. There are simply not enough boots on the ground to police this country; there’s no point trying to prop up the police force with neighbourhood policing and community policy,” he said.
Granger added that there was also a need to pay the police more, a point that Ramjattan had also made. The APNU representative also called for the strengthening of the Criminal Investigations Department which he accused the government of neutering.
Friday’s event was organised by Facing the Future, a coalition of civic organisations which has taken as its mandate pushing for a more inclusive and transparent system of government.