Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon and a team today met with the Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie on a range of matters.
A statement from Harmon’s office follows:
Leader of the Opposition Hon. Joseph Harmon statement
following meeting with Commissioner of Police
At my request, I, along with a team including Hon. Khemraj Ramjattan, MP; Hon. Roysdale Forde, MP; Hon. Geeta Chandan-Edmond, MP; Hon. Christopher Jones, MP and Mr. Aubrey Norton, Executive Director of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition today met with the Commissioner of Police and senior officers of the Guyana Police Force at Eve Leary.
Support for Police
We reiterated our support for the work of the Guyana Police Force and expressed that we recognize that the vast majority of the members of the force try to execute their duties in a professional manner.
We also extended commiserations that the members of the Guyana Police Force did not receive any salary increases in 2020 and that none appear to be forthcoming for 2021.
COVID-19 Enforcement
We expressed our concern regarding the slothful and selective police enforcement of the COVID–19 measures and called for stricter enforcement across the country. We reminded the Commissioner of the APNU+AFC’s establishment of the Police Mobile Emergency Enforcement Teams which worked well for this purpose.
The Commissioner assured us that the Force was responsive and pointed to the resuscitation of Community Policing Groups to aid in this operation.
Incident on Thursday 11th Feb at the ACCC
The Commissioner described the situation as unfortunate and committed to ensuring that Members of Parliament’s constitutionally guaranteed rights were not curtailed in future and that an immediate end is put to searches of Members of Parliament at the Parliament Buildings.
Political Weaponization of the Police Force
We outlined to the Commissioner our concerns about the manner in which the Guyana Police Force is being perceived by the public and the manner in which some officers were executing their duties. We offered the assistance of APNU+AFC in any way the Commissioner deems relevant in this regard.
We outlined that based on the actions of the Police, many citizens have formed the belief that the Police Force has been weaponized by the political directorate to act against their political opponents, public servants and staff of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Slothful Henry Boys and Haresh Singh Murder Investigations
We underscored our disappointment in the sloth in the investigations of the Henry cousins murder and that of Haresh Singh. The Commissioner gave his assurance that the matter was under investigation and that a conviction is forthcoming in the murder of Haresh Singh.
Use of Police Lights and Sirens by Non-Emergency Vehicles
We raised the issue of the sudden phenomenon of numerous non-emergency vehicles being observed indiscriminately using police lights and sirens. We outlined that this development could lead members of the public to become hesitant or reluctant to yield to vehicles using sirens given that they may be uncertain as to whether it is a legitimate emergency given the proliferation of non-emergency vehicles which are now using police lights and sirens.
The Commissioner indicated that he has put together a team to examine this and make certain decisions which are expected shortly.
Release of Phantom Prisoners
We expressed our grave displeasure with the release of convicted prisoners without any public announcement about their identities. We posited to the Commissioner that this untenable situation is contributing to members of the public feeling unsafe and a heightened sense of unease. We noted that with several jailbreaks and the release of unnamed prisoners it has been contributing to the security situation in the country becoming unstable.
Overdue Meeting
It is our view that the meeting was overdue. We believe it allowed us an opportunity to outline to the Commissioner our concerns and advise him that should the situation not improve in the coming weeks we may exercise options that are allowable under the laws of Guyana.
The Commissioner was receptive, understood our concerns and disappointments with the performance of the Guyana Police Force and gave his commitment to look into a number of the matters which were raised.
