The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday signed an agreement with the University of Guyana (UG) for the development of new programmes to meet the educational needs of law enforcers.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (ag), Calvin Brutus, who has responsibility for Administration, and UG’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Paloma Mohamed signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) during a ceremony held at the UG’s Turkeyen Campus.
The agreement covers a five-year period with an option for renewal.
In a press release, the GPF said the agreement underscores its continued commitment and support to the development of ranks through education and training.
According to the release, Brutus said that the MoA was birthed from the need for them to develop modules for ranks to ensure that the GPF delivers on its mandate in keeping with contemporary best practices for the police in the country.
“We recognize that based on our recruitment policy there is that burning need not only for development at the tertiary levels but also at the lower levels because of the sound primary education requirement to enter the Guyana Police Force,” he was quoted as saying. “This Memorandum of Agreement is intended to address the various levels and to develop our ranks from that sound primary education level in the shortest possible time…depending on their ability to learn, the university will deliver that knowledge to them up to the level that is required to meet our demands to provide security for our nation,” he added.
The release noted that the MoA caters for a range of programmes to be developed, with others being refined. Brutus said that part of it has to do with accreditation of the Police Training College, which he noted is “is just by name… the substance and standard [are] not there.” He said that through the agreement, they hope to get the college accredited in the shortest possible time while also training instructors to deliver the professional part of the programme.
According to the release, Brutus said that the current programmes are delivered in a haphazard way and with the agreement they will be fashioned into accredited programmes for the GPF, thereby enabling serving members who choose to leave to be able to acquire respectable jobs with the qualifications earned within the organization.
Meanwhile, the release said Dr Mohamed express-ed satisfaction with the arrangement since it comes against the background of a wide national strategic context that will allow for more transparency and a more service-oriented Police Force with diversified service across the country. She believes this MoA allows for a more focused and accelerated path for the reformation plan of the Guyana Police Force and she noted that the university is very happy to walk this path with the GPF.
The release noted that other aspects of the agreement include a public perception survey and force recruitment strategy to diversify its skills sets in order to achieve a technologically-driven force. “The Police Force is really taking on a very cutting edge, very focused, a very dynamic path despite all the challenges they have been having and we’re happy to be working with the Police Force,” Dr Mohamed was quoted as saying.
