Dear Editor,
When will the policymakers, the movers and shakers of the Guyana Police Force stop the legal and political morass that presently exists in the Force between Seelall Persaud, Commissioner of Police and David Ramnarine, Assistant Commissioner of Police? When will those in authority cease their creative procrastination and take swift, certain and appropriate action to correct the existing sad state of affairs?
Rewind! A few months ago the Commissioner of Police proceeded on one hundred days leave. In his absence David Ramnarine was given the task to perform the duties of commissioner. On his return, the top cop attempted to vitiate several actions taken by Ramnarine while he was on leave. He wrote a memo to his Staff Officer and copied it to Ramnarine instructing him to rescind the promotion of several subordinate officers that the acting commissioner had approved. The commissioner stated that Ramnarine was not given the instrument to perform the duties of commissioner as set out in the Constitution of Guyana. Hence, his actions were unconstitutional. He cited several sections in the Constitution to support his case. On the other hand Ramnarine in an opposing response to his superior quoted some areas of the supreme law and posited reasons to justify the elevation of the ranks. He concluded that his actions were well within the ambit of the Constitution and the laws of Guyana. Commissioner has since withdrawn his order to reverse the upward mobility of the policemen. A Guyana Government news release stated that the promotions will stand. However, the lights are still on. The music at the party continues to play even louder. The interpersonal relationship between the two top gunners of the GPF is extremely strained if not acrimonious. It is affecting the morale of some members of the Force including senior officers and ranks and at the bottom of the ladder. Some are quietly complaining.
A retired superintendent of police who I know well but will remain nameless, wrote a letter to Kaieteur News. He referred to me as a constitutional expert and asked for my comments on the issue. Let me be pellucid. I am no constitutional expert. I read the constitution several times. I received legal opinions on the issues. There are diverse views. I also perused some documents on the much forgotten Doctrine of Necessity which might be useful in the present circumstances. As a former senior member of the Force and a victim of an armed robbery at my home I have an abiding interest in the operations of the number one law enforcement agency in Guyana, the GPF. I want the police to deliver the highest quality of service to the citizens they swore to serve and protect. I did not intend to comment on the issues with the commissioner and his deputy as I feared that I would have opened a can of worms and that time would have healed the wounds. Apparently the wounds are now infected. Serious disagreement between the two top men in the Force in relation to major administrative and operational issues is active. They were leaked to the social and mainstream media and elsewhere. Those issues if not nipped in the bud would have the potential to deface the image of the Force, erode its public confidence and cause some amount of disunity among the policemen at the senior and junior levels of the Force. The matters were expected to be internal ones but are now open for public consumption.
If the commissioner felt that the actions of Ramnarine were unlawful why not deal with the issues holistically? Why be selective? Why only the promotions. Why not reinstate the ranks Ramnarine dismissed? Why not terminate the services of over two hundred plus applicants that Ramnarine approved for enlistment and were sworn as members of the Force? If you cannot promote can you hire or fire? Why not retrieve from the ranks the large amount of money that Ramnarine awarded them for outstanding performance? Why not revoke the firearms licences approved by Ramnarine including those for CANU, the Special Constabulary, serving and former members of the Force? Why allow juniors to investigate seniors in relation to disciplinary matters? Could the issues and concerns have been dealt with differently? Could there have been some amount of thinking outside of the box as it relates to the letter and spirit of the law. Here is what Nelson Mandela did when he was President of the Republic of South Africa. He appointed his former wife Winifred Mandela as a minister in his cabinet. The Zulu Chief told him that it was a breach of the Constitution, that the President did not consult with him before the appointment as required by law. The next morning President Mandela dismissed Winfred Mandela, consulted with the Zulu Chief in the afternoon and the following day he appointed “Winnie” a minister.
Why not fill the four vacant deputy commissioners positions? There are vacancies for Deputy Commissioners Administration, Operations, Law Enforcement and Special Branch. The vacancies have been there since the last government was in power. No other appointment has been made since Leroy Brumell and Seelall Persaud were appointed deputy commissioners. They both became commissioners and the vacancies have not been filled. Is it that the shoulders of the present assistant commissioners in the Force are not broad and strong enough to accommodate the badges of rank of deputy commissioners? Is the barrel empty? Will we see retired brigadiers and army colonels taking up those appointments? Will we have International Police Officers (IPO) from the United Kingdom and Canada filling those vacancies as was done in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Caribbean islands? Even if the vacancies are filled will there be consequential promotions? Will those promotions be backdated? If the massive road blocks established between Seelall and Ramnarine are not surmountable will we have a retired brigadier or army colonel heading the Force as was the case in Jamaica? Flashback! Renowned law enforcement expert Mr Norman Mc Lean as a serving member of the GPF was appointed Chief of Staff of the GDF. He did an excellent job and retired as a Major General. Assistant commissioners of police Cecil Kilkenny and Welton Trotz served well as Directors of Prisons. Could things be done in the reverse? Would we have an abolition of office in accordance with the Constitution as was done in 1985 by President Desmond Hoyte? Was Ramnarine given a basket to fetch water? Is he a blue flame officer? In this modern age of policing why aren’t the police progressively moving towards e-governance? Is technophobia at work?
Of all the skills a manager/ leader/ supervisor needs to be effective, skill in communicating is the most vital. Communication is a critical part of policing. Research has shown that 93 percent of police work is one-on-one communication. Estimates vary, but all studies emphasise the importance of communication in every day law enforcement operations.
The consequences of not communicating well include low morale, increased disputes, reduced work quality and quantity and sometimes even lawsuits. This may be applicable to the current situation in the Force.
Dark clouds are hovering over the Police Headquarters. Some are moving towards the divisions. Certainly, they are not rain clouds. However, behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining. The clouds will soon roll by. The words of Commissioner Lloyd Barker keep ringing in my ears, “Commissioners will come and commissioners will go but the Guyana Police Force goes on forever.” May God bless the Guyana Police Force.
Yours faithfully
Clinton Conway,
Assistant Commissioner of Police
(Retired)
