-at re-commissioning of Cove and John station
The remodelled Cove and John Police Station was yesterday hailed as a symbol of the modernisation of the police force, even as more calls were made for ranks to improve their relationship with the public.
“The Cove and John Police Station had been remodelled to facilitate a more modern approach to enhance the professionalism of ranks and in keeping with changes of new technology,” ‘C’ Division Com-mander, Eric Bassant said at the commissioning ceremony for the station.
Its recently added IT lab has been equipped withthree computers, while the station has been furnished with new office furniture, all at a cost of $19,165,000.
Bassant noted that the remodelling is part of the modernisation component of the Citizen Security Pro-gramme, funded by the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Develop-ment Bank (IDB), which has seen police stations benefitting.
Acting Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell, in his address to the small gathering made up mainly of community policing officers, expressed gratitude to the Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, who was also present.
“Minister, I must say thanks to the government through you because over the last four or five years, we’ve seen some refurbishing in the Guyana Police Force. Buildings have been remodelled and they have equipment and other accessories within… We’ve seen ranks attending training locally and overseas… We have been given equipment to perform our duties in Guyana with diligence,” Brumell stated. “I know you’re a no-nonsense fella and I know you are behind this programme,” he added.
Brumell urged ranks to develop their public relations skills, emphasising that their actions not only represent them but the force as a whole.
“The force is 173 years old and as long as there is a Guyana there will be a Guyana Police Force… we will not allow ourselves to look like amateurs. I want all of you to look like professionals… How we deal with members of the public, when somebody comes to the station to make a report they must be treated with the respect they ought to be. Not treated like you own the people and I blame that on the subordinate officers… not being able to deal with junior ranks. Subordinate ranks take your command,” he encouraged.
He added that complaints brought to him about ranks not being available to attend to an emergency simply because there are not enough ranks on duty or no vehicle available are not good enough. “If I am at a station and somebody call and I don’t have a vehicle, I mustn’t tell the people is me alone and we ain’t got a vehicle. Call patrols and other ranks on the road, make other arrangements… Do not tell people come for me with a special or is me alone at the station,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Rohee noted that the re-commissioning signals the achievement of modernisation in the police force, while endorsing Brumell’s points about ranks’ public relations’ skills and the lack thereof.
Rohee said he received a call on Tuesday evening from someone who explained to him that his home was broken into and robbed and the matter was reported to the police. He relayed that the man said the police had told him that they would call him back but after a few weeks with no word from the lawmen, the citizen decided to call them for an update. However, Rohee said he was told that the police would tolerate no conversation.
“At the end of the conversation, the rank told complainant, ‘Ya know is who ya talking to? Is a police ya talking to,’” Rohee related, adding that both he and the citizen were puzzled at the statement. “It appeared as though the rank felt that a civilian ought not to question him or speak to him, to inquire into a matter that is personal to him. I don’t see the reason for such a question. Whether the rank high or low, he was talking to what we call a customer for a service to be provided. All he was asking for was a report,” he stated.
According to Rohee, such things mean a lot to citizens who work hard to purchase items only to have them taken from their home. “To a person who has their hard earned savings to buy a 16” TV and have it stolen, it means a lot… Regrettably, only when we experience a loss, we feel it for ourselves. I think it’s time, in this transformative process, that we start feeling for others,” he urged.
Rohee maintained that public relations are extremely important and communication is critical and noted the need for the force to reform its operation in this regard. He further encouraged the force to engage in modern methods of policing, while noting that there is always room for improvement.
“The rededication, the re-commissioning of the Cove and John Police Station, which is a well-known police station, this is a very important location… It has its own history, it had its own difficulties and had its own victories as well,” he also said.
