Acting Police Commissioner Seelal Persaud would not say that he is surprised or worried about the number of current and former policemen who have found themselves involved in criminal activity, however, he admits that their behaviour may be a reflection of the society at large.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning just after hosting the Police Force’s annual award ceremony, the Top Cop brushed aside concerns about the number of police officers being fingered in crime.

He said “they are members of our society and our society from historical times based on my reading, has been involved in crime and members of the Police Force are members of that society”.

The Police Commissioner added that “we put them through training, we instill values but there has always been exceptions to the rules”.

A policeman who was wanted for the gunning down of a teenager while on duty was shot dead on Monday evening when he was cornered after robbing an East Coast Demerara supermarket. His accomplice who was identified as a former University of Guyana student was also shot dead by the police during the stand-off.

Another policeman who was also charged for the murder of the teenager in 2012 remains on the run.

Over the past few years, a number of serving and former police officers have found themselves on the wrong side of the law and many of them have appeared in court on very serious matters including crime scene tampering, tampering with evidence, torture, embezzlement, rape, bribery, robberies and assault as well as murder.

There have been calls on the government by the Opposition parties for there to be a complete restructuring of the Guyana Police Force. The government for its part has invested millions in training and development for police officers.

There is also the concern by the  Opposition parties that there is the need for policemen to be paid better salaries and offered better benefits and improved working conditions.