Businessman and member of the `A’ Division Policing Group, Oudit Seenarain was yesterday recognized for his bravery in fighting off armed bandits during an attempted robbery in Section K Campbellville last month.
Seenarain was among many who were honoured at the Guyana Police Force’s Award ceremony and received a plaque. Ranks and other policing groups from across the country received monetary awards for their hard work.
On June 4, Seenarain was returning to his vehicle after dropping off his children at a day-care centre when he was approached by a man armed with a gun. Seenarain drew his firearm and both men discharged rounds at each other resulting in the perpetrator being shot to his right foot and buttocks. The wounded robber identified as Enrico Inniss, 27, of 847 South Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara however, managed to escape on a motorcycle ridden by an accomplice. Later the police were informed by public-spirited persons that a man was lying on the roadway at Lamaha Gardens with suspected gunshot injuries and upon checking they discovered that it was the same man who had attacked Seenarain. A .38 Taurus revolver with two spent shells were found in his possession.
Inniss and his alleged accomplice Desmond Williams, 22, of Lot 1267 B Field Sophia, have since been charged. Inniss pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years in jail.
Assistant Commissioner Leroy Brummell told those gathered at the Police Officers’ Mess that the event seeks to reward those ranks who have done well.
From 1999 to present, the awards, which were created by former police commissioner Laurie Lewis, have seen in excess of $60 million being given out. Last year in excess of seven million dollars was handed out and $9 million will be paid this year, with some 981 ranks benefiting.
In delivering his feature address Police Commissioner Henry Greene, while congratulating all the awardees pointed out that the Force faces an enormous task with limited resources. He explained that the strength of the Force is more than 700 ranks short adding that persons leave for a variety of reasons including the salary.
“Despite all of this we have managed to maintain our mobile patrols, our foot patrols and investigations. We can’t solve every crime”, he said responding to articles in the press about crimes being unsolved.
He said that only the negative aspects are highlighted but the award ceremony is an example of the positives.
According to Greene another positive is the fact that crime is down. He said that for this year so far the figure is at -13% when compared with the same period last year. The only area with an increase in crime is `D’ Division, the figure according to Greene stands at + 18%.
Greene told the gathering that traffic deaths are on par with the same period last year which he attributed to the use of the breathalyzers and radars. He pointed out that there are more suicides than road fatalities. Seventy people have been murdered this year.
Commenting on fatal shootings involving ranks, Greene said that for this year so far there have been four in comparison with 14 last year. To help deal with this issue, from as far as 2002, a number of human rights programmes have been implemented as well as one week courses and a number of lectures to retrain ranks on things such as when to fire and use of minimum force.“You want to tell me there hasn’t been some significant improvement in the quality of police work when there is such a significant decline in people being shot and killed out there? It shows police are approaching in a more responsible manner”, he stressed.
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) he added has been working hard too.” The OPR has been doing work. We are not hiding anything! Action continues to be taken against errant ranks”, Greene said. Records, he said, shows that in 2007, 168 complaints were investigated; in 2008, 178; 2009, 135 and for this year 63.
“I want you to see that the police force is not allowing ranks to do what they like…We have had bad eggs. Bad eggs continue to be part of the force and we continue to try to weed them out as fast as we could and when we could”, Greene told the gathering.
His last check of the records he added showed that 86 ranks who were interdicted are on criminal charges. He did not say when the records were last checked.
Always a target
Greene said that the Force is always being targeted especially by the media for the slightest mistakes and the hard work is not recognised.
“The moment a policeman makes a mistake, it is almost like a policeman cannot make a mistake. Like you are God like or Christ like and that you can’t make mistake. It is a sad story”, he noted.
Despite how the ranks try hard to execute their duties “we continue to be targeted for any little thing that happens”.
He spoke of two recent publications, one involving a member of the judiciary which he considers a small issue and another in which the police were accused of investigating a matter poorly.
He said that that the press needs to be reminded that in 2005 the British hosted several investigative training courses and “they created champions”. He said that those courses are continuing.
“When people run with story they must balance it. That one man might have made a mistake and one investigation might have been poor but it doesn’t mean that all investigations are poor or that the whole police force cannot investigate…The point I want to make is that we don’t even get a chance and even when we react it gets published but a little note is pushed in a corner so people could hardly notice it”, he stressed.
Greene said that Guyana has relentlessly pursued a strategic plan mapped out for the Caribbean and has been successful after putting legislation in place.
He said that had it not been for a recent amendment to the Act, the `Fineman’ gang would not have been behind bars. He said that the plea bargain legislation, made that possible.
Commenting on developments in the Force he said that the Crime Observatory has been established at the Ministry of Home Affairs and modernisation works are taking place at Police stations countrywide.
Twenty-five training programmes including mentoring are also on stream.
