Dear Editor,
Stabroek News report dated April 25, captioned ‘Despite seniority, Brumell unlikely to be confirmed top cop,’ if accurate, is likely to cause even more concern to the citizenry with respect to the whole question of fairness.
Unless I am missing something, one would logically conclude that if Acting Commissioner Leroy Brumell is the most senior and experienced officer on the job, then his confirmation as Police Commissioner would be inevitable, unless of course, there are more intricate issues involved.
I, therefore, wonder, should Mr Brummell not be confirmed as Commissioner of Police whether this might not invite questions about political tinkering. Further, wouldn’t such a blatant act of disrespect directed towards the most senior officer, have the potential to lead to a state of disharmony and disrespect within the ranks of the police force?
I would hope that those in authority do not make the mistake of doing anything which will serve to further undermine the functioning of the force and call into question the professionalism of the entire Guyana Police Force. I am quite sure that the government knows, like every citizen, of the tremendous problems the police force already has to deal with, and we should therefore take care to ensure that our actions do not further exacerbate the problems of the force, which may ultimately put every citizen at even more risk. It is fair to say that the next police commissioner will have the difficult task of restoring the confidence of the people in a system that has been seriously undermined, primarily owing to the acts of his predecessor. It would, therefore, be unwise to create a situation which would make the task of rebuilding trust and confidence harder. Should Acting Commissioner Brumell, the most senior officer on the job not be confirmed, whoever would be thrust into that office will come with these added and unnecessary burdens. The people cannot afford this.
Yours faithfully,
Lurlene Nestor
