Dear Editor,
On behalf of my fellow colleagues of the City Police Department and myself, I write to express my profound disappointment over the recent comments made by the outgoing Mayor of Georgetown, Mrs. Patricia Chase-Green at the City Council’s statutory meeting held on Monday, December 10, 2018.
I have noted in some sections of the printed media and from reliable sources that the Mayor at Monday’s statutory meeting declared that the City Council is unable to pay retroactive salaries to its Constabulary Officers for the year 2018.
However, in defending the inability to do so, the Mayor went a step further to say that the City Constabulary officers are not deserving of the retroactive increases as she described them as “Grasshoppers and people who do “nothing” which is total disrespect to the hardworking and dedicated members of the City Police Department who work tirelessly and beyond the call of duty in ensuring law and order is maintained and the safety and security of all those who visit, work or live in the city of Georgetown on a daily basis.
I wish to remind the Mayor and make it known to the public that due to the dedication of the ranks of the City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies such as the Guyana Police Force that there has been a significant reduction in the number of crimes in 2018 in all categories compared to the previous years which is commendable and as such the Mayor should see it fit to pay the increase in retroactive salaries to its Constabulary Officers for the year 2018 rather than referring to us as “Grasshoppers’ which is a gross disrespect and disgusting coming from the Mayor who ought to know better when it comes to respecting people as a leader and a political figure in our society.
I commend Mrs. Sharon Harry-Munroe, the Acting Town Clerk and representatives from the City Constabulary Department for letting the Mayor know that the City Council has an obligation to pay the retroactive salary increases to the Constabulary officers which needs to be honoured.
In closing, I call on the Mayor of Georgetown, Mrs. Patricia Chase-Green to publicly apologize to ranks of the City Police Department over her recent derogatory remarks and to pay the retroactive salary increases to the Constabulary officers.
Yours faithfully,
Rayvonne P. Bourne