Not surprising that the ministry would criticize the police. However we should ask, what is the ministry doing to rectify this situation. What are they going to demand from Brummel? This incompetency of the force begs for an analysis, are the police detectives being trained properly? Are the proper people being promoted to detective rank?
Home Affairs Ministry slams “incompetent” police investigators
The Ministry of Home Affairs has added its voice to the growing list of persons and organizations that are not satisfied with the performance of the investigative arm of the Guyana Police Force.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee
In a strongly worded statement issued yesterday, the Ministry used words like incompetence and apathy to describe the work of investigators in the organization. The Ministry was referring directly to the investigation into the suspicious death of Sideek Juman, whose body was found in a swimming pool at the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, on 19th November 2012. “The Ministry of Home Affairs wishes to register its dissatisfaction with the pace of this investigation which unfortunately seems to have been hampered by incompetence and apathy displayed by the investigative ranks within the premier criminal investigative institution in Guyana.” According to the Ministry, this attitude is not an isolated anomaly, but is symptomatic of an organisation that does not seem to appreciate that failure to resolve serious crimes swiftly, comprehensively and efficiently paints the Guyana Police Force in a negative light. This recent criticism by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has political oversight over the Guyana Police Force, is certainly a blow to the morale of the organization, since it comes at a time when the police are taking tremendous blows over its failure to instill some level of public confidence in its crime solving capabilities. The Ministry is basing its assessment on the slow pace of investigations into the Juman case, especially in light of the fact that his relatives believe that he was murdered. During the month of April last, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee met with Ms. Farida Juman and Mr. Marzaban Juman, the mother and uncle respectively of the late Sideek Juman. The Jumans insisted that the victim was murdered but they had received conflicting reports concerning the progress of the investigation. Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) requesting a status report on the investigations into the death. Subsequently, the DPP advised the Ministry of Home Affairs that her chambers requested the file with respect to Mr. Juman after reading of his untimely demise in the newspapers. She declared that the investigations conducted by the police were severely lacking and therefore the file was returned to them for further investigations. “The Ministry of Home Affairs anticipates that decisive action would be taken by the Guyana Police Force to satisfy the conditions detailed by the DPP in order to facilitate a dignified resolution into the death of Mr. Sideek Juman.” Meanwhile, the Ministry has “noted with dismay the recent unfolding of events treating with the killing of Corporal Romain Cleto”. This is the first time that the Ministry has officially commented on the Cleto matter. “The Ministry shares the disappointment with the relatives of the deceased on the setback in the matter. It is our hope that with diligence and persistence the police will achieve the breakthrough we all anticipate in order that justice may be served,” the Ministry said in a separate statement. The Ministry is awaiting a police report requested from the Commissioner of Police (ag) detailing the circumstances that prompted the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw the charges laid against the individuals, who were arrested in connection with the killing of the young Corporal. The Ministry said that it is particularly interested in learning about the flaws in the police investigations, which it will endeavour to address at the policy level.
