Twenty-three middle management ranks from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and disciplinary services are taking part in a rigorous 12-week training course aimed at moulding them into good leaders and preparing them for senior positions.

The GPF’s Junior Officers’ Course No. 20 began three weeks ago and the participants, who are drawn from the GPF, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Prison Service and the City Constabulary, are being engaged on issues related to managerial and operational responsibilities.

During a simple opening ceremony yesterday, Assistant Superintendant Michael Sutton said the course is aimed at improving the performance of the participants in their present rank and to prepare them for senior positions. He said that the course is conducted in two modules; management, including communications, the role and function of a manager, conflict resolution, managing stress, English and writing skills, gender issues, the role and function of the media, human resources management, target and goal setting along with the ethics in law enforcement; and police power and duty, which includes the socio-political aspects, operational functions, and other related issues. According to Sutton, the intensive course is progressing satisfactorily.

Police Commissioner Henry Greene urged the participants to use the course to elevate themselves and show their seniors their potential. He noted that the course, which was initiated in 1976, identified leaders. “We identify those who we think look like they have potential to go into higher service,” he said, explaining that the programme provides a facility of training for upcoming junior officers and inspectors. “A junior officer is expected to behave and perform in a certain manner. He is expected to have certain basic knowledge, certain basic skills, certain attitudes and values and those are not acquired very easily,” he stressed.

Greene pointed out that while the GPF conducts several other courses, the Junior Officers’ Course is vital to the core of the institution since it targets the middle managers. He added that since the course’s establishment, there have been a lot of changes geared at enhancing its quality. Among some of the major changes, Greene said, are collaboration with the University of Guyana; the input of domestic violence and human rights training; and the introduction of Information Technology. On the latter point, he said there are 25 computers available in the Force’s Computer Centre and he urged participants to grab the opportunity to use them as they would be expected to be computer literate by the end of the course.

He also noted that there are plans to expose senior officers to a similar course, explaining that it is hoped that training will be launched early next year to upgrade their skills, attitude and values.

Meanwhile, during the feature address, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that far too often the negative actions of the police drown out the positives, like the course. He noted that such training enables members of the disciplined services to have a better understanding of each others’ organisation, thereby making it easier for joint operations and other activities that require collaboration.

The training of junior ranks, he also said, has a two fold benefit—allowing the force to engage in long term planning and equipping the officers with sufficient knowledge to enable them to manage, supervise and provide on the job training for staff under their command. “If it (the force) is to develop, it must have in place a purposeful training programme to sustain and build its capacity,” he added.

The government, Rohee also noted, continues to invest significant sums of money to ensure that the force and other services are better able to achieve their mandates. As part of the plan, he said a number of initiatives have been undertaken, including the recent launching of the Citizens Security Programme (CSP) which, among its objectives, is looking at the modernization of the force and the development of a comprehensive training programme. Both components of this programme are well on stream, he said.