Dear Editor,
Permit me to respond to an erroneous letter in yesterday’s Stabroek News written by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Public Relations & Press Officer, Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan.
Perhaps in his zeal to defend the GPF, or perhaps because of pressure from the Minister of Public Security, Supt. Ramlakhan felt compelled to respond to PPP/C Presidential candidate, Irfaan Ali’s remarks detailing plans for our men and women in uniform. This guy is either completely out of touch with the pulse of our men and women in uniform, or he is shamefully deceiving the public in ignoring the despicable conditions under which police ranks are asked to serve knowing fully well that the ‘blue wall of silence’ will protect him from the outrage of police officers who will be disciplined if they dare to speak out.
In his letter, Ramlakhan denounced Ali’s claim that ranks were experiencing political interference, favouritism in career path and advancement, the utilization of obsolete equipment to execute their duties, poor working conditions, limited support for their families, limited community support and limited attention to welfare issues, among others.” Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan needs to get out of his cozy office to know what’s really going on in the Force.
Readers may recall that in a letter dated July 27, 2017, the then Minister of State, Joseph Harmon wrote to the Police Service Commission (PSC) informing that the President had directed that there be no consideration of promotion for members of the Guyana Police Force until further notice. This political interference by the President was ruled a “breach of the Constitution” on November 22, 2017 by Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George.
That very month, November of 2017, Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud was sent on ‘special leave’ in the ‘public interest’ by Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, a controversial move that was considered unconstitutional and smacked of political interference.
Then in April of this year, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack discontinued private criminal charges of misconduct in public office filed against Government Ministers Volda Lawrence, Dr. George Norton, David Patterson, Rupert Roopnaraine and Winston Jordan. And it was the infamous Attorney General, Basil Williams who bragged that it was representation through his office that prevented the private charges from continuing against the government ministers.
The point is, there is documented evidence of political interference in matters of the Guyana Police Force by the Granger Administration and Supt. Jairam Ramlakhan wants us to believe this never happened.
In his letter, Ramlakhan wrote, “The Guyana Police Force has embarked on a reform programme and is currently engaged in the implementation of a Three-Year Strategic Management Plan 2019/2021, which is a continuation of a previous Five-Year Strategic Management Plan.”
But while that may be so, this “Strategic Management Plan” has done little or nothing to improve the welfare of ordinary police officers who risk their lives every day to keep Guyana and her citizens safe. Despite all the elaborate plans in the pipeline to improve the efficiency of the Guyana Police Force, the Commissioner of Police and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan have failed to address the main problem affecting every police officer I have spoken to, poor salaries and living conditions. It’s as simple as that! Until and unless these conditions are rectified, it will be almost impossible to stamp out corruption in the Force, something that must be done at all cost!
After conning the Joint Services with the false promise of a 20% salary increase during the 2015 election campaign, police officers are still grossly underpaid and unappreciated. And to make matters worse, the one-month tax-free Christmas Bonus that the Joint Services once enjoyed under previous PPP/C governments has been discontinued by the uncaring Granger Administration.
On March 24th of last year, I was part of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee of the Security Sector that inspected police stations at Moruca; Matthews Ridge; Port Kaituma and Mabaruma in Region 1.
To his credit, the Committee Chairman and Minister of Public Security, instructed his police ranks to be truthful and straightforward in answering our questions, and I am satisfied that this was done.
Because of this candid interaction with the ranks, I was able to ascertain the state of readiness of our police force in those communities, and the conditions under which they live and work.
Editor, we demand professionalism of our men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. They in turn, need to be assured of their government’s support and commitment to provide them with the tools to keep them safe, and to get the job done. Sadly, much is needed to provide the basic level of comfort to those police officers, most of whom have been transferred from locations far away from home.
Police in Region One are challenged to cope with routine criminal activities they are confronted with on a daily basis. Every police station was short-staffed and in dire need of transportation; adequate manpower, and better weapons, mostly small arms.
There was no defined policy guideline to deal with Venezuelans who crossed the border into Guyana, work here illegally and set up gangs and prostitution rings.
Living quarters for police officers were mostly cramped and inadequate. In Port Kaituma, an officer named Sergeant Connell was forced to live in a dilapidated building that should have been demolished a long time ago. I hope he is no longer living there.
Every police outpost needs a reliable communication system, more so, those located in rural isolated areas. Yet the police radio at Moruca had not been working for over a year at the time we visited. Without a telephone land-line, the only form of communication available to these police officers were their personal cell phones. Moruca had been without a 4×4 vehicle since 2012, and one of the two ATVs were non-operational due to smooth tyres. A common request I heard throughout this inspection tour was the need for female police officers to deal with cases of rape, domestic violence, child abuse etc. The station at Moruca was without a female police officer and had no female living quarters, compromising not only the gathering of evidence, but the privacy of those women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. I hope these issues have since been addressed.
Throughout, police officers that were transferred from other locations to work in Region One expressed dissatisfaction with the three months they are required to serve before they’re given two weeks’ vacation to return home. Often, because of the staff shortage, some were required to work much longer to attend court proceedings with prisoners. Keeping a police officer away from his family for such a long time will surely contribute to broken homes. To make matters worse, I was told that unless a police officer is required to escort a prisoner to Georgetown, he has to pay his own transportation to and from home which often includes costly airfares.
While the Minister of Public Security admitted that he is aware of some of the “harsh” conditions that exist in some locations, it appears that those sitting in cosy offices at Eve Leary are failing to address the basic needs of police officers in the Hinterland Region.
At the Matthews Ridge and Port Kaituma Police Stations, basic, inexpensive necessities that were required to improve the living conditions of our police officers were sadly lacking. These include black tanks to store water; a 4-burner gas stove and kitchen utensils to cook food for police ranks and prisoners.
Also in Matthews Ridge, there was an urgent need for the construction of additional prison cells to accommodate prisoners during court days. At times, police are forced to house between 18 and 26 prisoners in two unsecured “lock-ups”, each measuring about 5×6 feet. I hope these conditions have since been improved for prisoners deserve to be treated with some level of compassion.
Also in Port Kaituma, the police station was in dire need of a vehicle and a boat with a 200 HP engine to patrol the riverine communities in order to restrict the flow of drugs and other illegal items, as well as to deter crime.
The PPP/C Presidential Candidate knows what he is talking about. He has been traveling all 10 regions listening to the cries of a depressed people. He knows what has to be done, and is committed to providing our men and women in uniform with a livable income, incentives, and tools to get the job done. After all, the security and wellbeing of our citizens and the business community are vital to promote growth and prosperity for all our citizens in a democracy where our constitution is paramount and the rule of law respected by all.
Yours faithfully,
Harry Gill
PPP/C Member of Parliament
Member of the Parliamentary
Oversight Committee of the Security Sector
