Fifty-two members of the City Constabulary have been promoted, the first such promotions in five years.
The Mayor and Councillors of Georgetown approved the promotions at their statutory meeting yesterday.
Speaking with Stabroek News, Chief Constable Andrew Foo said that constabulary promotions were initially frozen from 2010 to 2012 by the council owing to financial concerns, after which difficulties with bottom tier recruitment also delayed the process. Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green also noted that the constabulary has for several years been facing challenges in recruiting significant numbers of constables to allow for promotions. “We couldn’t have a top heavy constabulary. We couldn’t have more chiefs than Indians; we had to have a balance,” she said.
In the last few years the constabulary has been able to attract over 50 constabulary officers. This increase in bottom tier recruitment has allowed for the recent promotions which are retroactive to January 1.
Leading the officers who will be conferred with badges of rank sometime this week are newly minted Senior Superintendent Stephen Bailey and Superintendents G. Langevine and L. Gittens. Those promoted also include 6 assistant superintendents, 6 inspectors, 11 sergeants, 10 corporals and 16 lance corporals.
