Dear Editor
The vexed question is what happened, or is happening with the Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan 2011- 2015? Back-ground: .On February 23, 2011, Simon Reeves, Director of Capita Symonds, submitted to Mr. Khemraj Rai, Programme Coordinator of the Citizen’s Security Programme, the final draft of the Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan – 2011-2015, as part of the Institutional Modernisation of the Guyana Police Force under the Citizen Security Programme. The Strategic Plan, which was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank states.”
The five areas that will be crucial in developing the plan are briefly:
(1) Operational Priorities – naturally any police force will be assessed on how and what it does, and the GPF has identified those particular crimes and other key areas of police work that causes the greatest distress, disruption or damage to Guyana.
(2) People – the officers and auxiliaries of the GPF will require relevant training to equip them with the skills and competencies necessary to deliver professional service, reviewing terms of conditions, how to increase and, importantly, retain the right staff and how to accurately measure performance;
(3) Partnerships – are critical to any modern police force which simply cannot police without consent and support of others. Already many good examples exists but they will need to be structured and expanded. Much of the GPF work involves direct relationships with other agencies and formal bodies, such as, ministries.
(4) Performance – is vital in being able to demonstrate that accountability and professional services are being delivered. As such the skills to measure performance, to inspect activities, to evaluate outcomes and monitor at intervals, are all part of being a modern police force; and
(5) Infrastructure – clearly no modern police force can operate without the right equipment, technology and support services that are relevant to the environment and circumstances of the country.”
The Strategic Plan also identified twenty five strategic risks to the successful delivery of its objectives and targets. They were relevant then, they are even more relevant now. Here are some of the identified risks: Alleged and perceived corruption within the GPF will adversely affect public trust and confidence in the police; there will be a lack of suitable equipment for officers of the GPF to meet new and emerging challenges. (e.g. increase marine/air capacity, improved vehicles, etc.); New and emerging crimes will divert resources to tackle other activities not set out in the plan; The MOHA does not have a Strategic Plan which gives overall direction to the GPF Strategic Plan; There will be insufficient succession planning to ensure that skilled resources are in place to deliver the Plan; Staff of the GPF may be resistant to change so that activities outlined in the Plan may not be achieved or will have to be delayed; There may be implications for the nature and type of criminality as the result of an increase in the population and influx of non-Guyanese nationals; An increase in the economy of Guyana may increase the demands on the GPF which cannot be managed within existing resources; An escalation of serious criminal or public disorder that prevents the involvement of GPF in delivering the objectives and targets as set out in the Strategic Plan; The GPF will not be able to keep place with changes in, and challenges arising from new and emerging technology; There will be an increase in legislation that brings about further demands on the GPF.
Capita Symonds urged the authorities to develop a Strategic Risk Management Plan to identify mitigating measures and monitor each risk’s ongoing relevance, as well as identifying emerging risks. Sadly the police did not develop this Plan, hence, their inability to effectively deliver the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan had numerous starts and stops. It was placed on both the front and back burners. It now appears that the fire has been turned off. Very little was achieved. Few milestones were achieved apart from: The establishment of the Integrated Crime Information System, whereby crime reports are recorded and submitted to the MOHA for analysis, and then passed on to the police for action. The employment of ‘policy analysts,’ The establishment of a Strategic Management Unit – this Unit used to be headed by an Assistant Commissioner, it is now under the command of an inexperienced Assistant Superintendent of Police; The reconstruction of some police stations to cater for Domestic Violence Rooms and two-way mirrors that give victims of crimes the opportunity to identify perpetrators without having face to face contact with them. The implementation of a one-year Comprehensive Training Plan. More about that Plan in a separate article, as there is no replication and sustainability of training as was intended.
The Strategic Plan has been around for over a decade without any real movement, despite the fact two different governments had the opportunity to see it to reality. The Citizen Security Plan, which gave birth to the Strategic Plan, has come and gone. There is now the Citizen Security Strengthening Program-me. I am not certain if it is catering for the Strategic Plan. The police are nibbling around the edges of the Strategic Plan. Covid 19 or no Covid 19, they must take the bull by the horns. Their lack of action, if allowed to continue, will enable their performances to be prosaic, as it is now. Strategic Management is an effective tool, enabling the police to deliver the highest quality of service to the citizens they swore to serve and protect. It is a sine qua non. I hasten to appeal to the police High Command, and the movers and shakers of the GPF, to bring back the Strategic Management to the front burner so that effective strategies can be implemented to deliver the highest quality of service to our beloved country.
Sincerely,
Clinton Conway
Assistant Commissioner of
Police (Ret’d)
