Forty-seven Guyana Police Force (GPF) ranks are currently before the courts facing criminal charges, Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie disclosed on Thursday.
Hoppie was at the time delivering remarks at the opening of the Annual Officers’ Conference at the National Cultural Centre.
According to Hoppie, during last year, the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) received 193 complaints against members of the force compared to 303 in the previous year.
He said the force will continue to take action, whether criminally or departmentally, against ranks who refuse to carry out their duty in keeping with their oaths of office.
“The force will continue to take condign action against those ranks whose behaviours and actions are found not to be consistent [with] the discipline and ethics and will continue to charge those found culpable whether departmentally or criminally as warranted,” Hoppie said.
The acting Top Cop also stressed that the use of force during police operations continues to be an issue.
“The GPF concept of operations is always deemed one of minimum force, constrained and guided by standing order as well as code of conduct for the law enforcement officers adopted by the UN General Assembly,” Hoppie said.
As a result, he said the GPF is streaming a number of programmes which are aimed at fostering a more professional attitude by ranks.
The areas of focus include conflict resolution, anger management, dealing with people and policing a multi-cultural and diverse society.
These programmes, according to Hoppie, are designed to act as a catalyst for change in the conduct and behavioural attitudes of ranks.
“The attitude of some members of the force towards the public and the deviant behaviour of some others, particularly corruption, are of concern to the force’s administration as they impact negatively on public trust and confidence,” he said.
Additionally, Hoppie stated that the force continues to place significant focus on the security reform process, which is aimed at providing safety and security through enhancing effectiveness and accountability of the police force by operating according to the human rights and the rule of law, thereby strengthening professional responsibility,” he said.
