Newly-appointed Minister of National Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said yesterday that the planned reshuffling in the Guyana Police Force has been put on further hold as he has to do a review and he said a decision on the transfer of senior officers will be made next week.
Ramjattan earlier this week met with Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud to discuss the list of persons he (Persaud) wanted to transfer and other matters of importance to the Guyana Police Force. Last week Crime Chief Leslie James was removed from his office and several high-level officers were transferred. President David Granger only became aware of the situation through reports in the media and immediately instructed Persaud to put the transfers on hold stating that Ramjattan was yet to take his oath of office and as the minister he ought to have a say in the issue.
Speaking from his Brickdam office yesterday, Ramjattan told Stabroek News that the transfers are still on hold. “I have to advise myself on a number of issues before I see the need for those transfers either to be maintained or to be reconfigured. At this point in time I can say no more but decisions in relation to which Assistant Commissioner goes where and recommendations from me as to where they should go will be done as early as next week”.
Asked how many transfers were proposed by Persaud he said that it was around four or five persons and he said that he has a similar number in mind. “There are a couple of others that I will consider over the weekend because the whole policy is to want to place the best person in the government’s view and the minister’s view, knowing qualifications and capacities are in the right places and in the public’s interest and that is why I would regard that reconfiguration a policy matter because it is the best we want for the people out there”, he said.
Ramjattan stressed that the he wants “better service and better protection from the Guyana Police Force”, hence the placement of the best in leadership roles.
Stabroek News inquired if during the meeting Persaud identified any areas of concerns and Ramjattan said “oh yes there are lots of areas he feels ought to be addressed”. Ramjattan said that at this stage he would not want to present a list, save and except to identify the much-vaunted Guyana Forensic Laboratory. He said that with regards to this billion-dollar facility the Commissioner expressed “disappointment with what has happened. I am very disappointed and I am now hearing what might be the source of the disappointment. I do not want that to be made public at this stage but effectively we are working to ensure what can make that lab go on and work…I don’t know if it is really doing any work right now. I get the impression that it is stalled up”. He showed Stabroek News a thick file on the Inter-American Development Bank-funded Guyana Forensic Laboratory which he has to go through with a fine tooth comb. He stated that this probing is all about becoming knowledgeable so that he can make better decisions.
The construction of the facility was completed last year under the former PPP/C government. It has been shrouded in secrecy and efforts to contact the then Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee to ascertain what work was being done were futile. At one stage it was said that the police force’s lab would be merged with that facility which is located at Turkeyen. It is unclear if that is still being considered.
Ramjattan told Stabroek News that the concerns raised by Persaud are all geared towards making the Force more efficient and professional.
According to Ramjattan, he is very optimistic that he can brighten the image of the force. “He (Persaud) appreciates the need for police reforms just like I do. He appreciates its relevance”, he said adding that he is certain that senior members of the force who he will be meeting shortly “are going to get this thing pulled together. They are pretty happy that there is now a minister that they could talk to and some have indicated as much”. He also plans to meet with junior ranks. “I want to play a role in meeting almost everybody because my accomplishment would largely be to do a reform of this police force that makes everybody satisfied …so that it is respected by the community, it is an institution that serves the community and after this reform process the relationship is one that is positive and meets the requirements of service and protection”.
He said that Rohee had a reform plan “but it was stalled in many respects because quite frankly there was a control freak in Rohee as I am now understanding from all quarters within this ministry itself, the police force and even the fire service”.
Ramjattan vowed that “we will change drastically from his style of administrating this plan”, adding that he will accommodate as many views as possible.” I will be like a final judge”, he said, adding that he will make the final recommendations on what should be implemented.
“I am revisiting everything that was done here. I will revoke certain decisions that were earlier made if I am not satisfied. I will stay with those decisions that I think have a rationale that is good and in the public’s interest but nothing will fetter my discretion as the new minister in any way to disregard that which was negative in the old administration. I have a free hand in relation to all those decisions”, he emphasized.
According to Ramjattan while the police force is his main focus at the moment, he will soon be meeting with the officials of the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Prison Service; two entities that he also has responsibility for.
He said that he has already seen members of the public who have come with numerous complaints.
Relations with the media
Meanwhile, Ramjattan said that he will be passing instructions to Persaud and his Commanders that they must share information with the media particularly if it’s not sensitive.
“There will be sensitive matters which I would not want them to speak on but at the larger level general information for the public to understand what is happening so that they can know what the police force is doing within their district, they must answer questions and if some of them need some training as to how to answer questions we will have to do a crash course…they are acting in the interest of the public and the press is there to inform the public”, he said. He stressed that the information that the police have is no “secret”.
“That is the securitizing effect of a good press with the police force and I want to urge them to be transparent as possible from the commissioner right down and including the minister himself’, Ramjattan said.
