Dear Editor,
Recently twenty nine civilians were installed in the Guyana Police Force as sergeants and prosecutors. They are individuals who hold a Bachelors of Law (LLB) and or third year (LLB) students. I am not certain if they were sworn in accordance with section 13 (1) of the Police Act Chapter 16: 01 and then promoted to sergeants. Their only function is to prosecute criminal matters in the Magistrates’ Courts, hence, they will not adhere fully to the oath of office, if it was in fact administered to them. It will be tweaked. Wow! The insertion is the brainchild of the Attorney General of Guyana. No wonder it is the first of its kind in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
There are numerous issues and concerns about the insertion of the twenty nine civilians in the Force. Will the newly minted sergeants fall under the ambit of the Police (Discipline) Act Chapter 17:01? One is left to wonder where the Minister of Home Affairs is in this unsavory police arrangements.
There is a wall of silence from Home Affairs or is it confidential like the imaginary RSS report. Flashback! During December 2022 the Top Cop visited Berbice, Divisional Police Region No 6 and spoke at the Annual Awards Ceremony of outstanding ranks for that regional division that year. A constable with over seven years’ service was adjudged the Divisional Best Cop. It would have been automatic for that rank to be promoted to at least a Lance Corporal. This was not done. At that function, the acting Commissioner posited that the GPF was overstaffed with subordinate officers. Hence, no promotion for the Best Cop or other ranks as is customary at the year-end Awards Ceremony.
The police have dozens of subordinate officers, more than what the establishment requires. To complicate the issue, twenty nine civilians were installed as senior subordinate officers as alluded to above. More are programmed to be recruited under similar circumstances, despite the fact that the police establishment has not been officially increased.
How were those persons selected? Did the police look at race and gender, as was done at the last police promotion, by the not legally and fully constituted Police Service Commission, led by a Bishop? Why were those young, bright and active serving subordinate officers, and other ranks in the GPF, not considered and trained for the positions of prosecutors? Why civilians? Is this a stop-gap situation? Do the police have a structured Career Development Plan for its members? What has happened to the One Year Special Prosecutors’ Course that was conceptualized by Commissioner Laurie Lewis which I designed, developed, implemented and evaluated over the years?
The One Year Special Prosecutors’ Course is full time and had seven modules namely: Criminal Law, Evidence, Criminal Practice and Court Procedure, Advocacy, Legal Research and Writing, English and Attachments to Courts. It was conducted by the Guyana Police Force in collaboration with the University of Guyana and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Numerous persons graduated from that training and moved on to greater heights. They include Gordon Gilhuys, Patrice Henry and Edmond Cooper, all who qualified as Attorneys – at – law. The former became a magistrate. Graduates saw the programme as a stepping stone to gain entry in the University of Guyana and to enhance their upward mobility in the Force. They include Retired Commissioner Leslie James, Retired Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Paul Williams, Assistant Commissioners Simon Mc Bean, Errol Watts and Fizal Karimbaksh. Bertram Toney, a graduate from the first course, moved on and won the Prime Minister’s Medal at the University of Guyana as the Best Graduating Student with a Diploma in Public Management. There were others too numerous to mention who excelled after completing the course.
Instead of recruiting civilians and conducting specialised training for them before their induction in the Force, why not revisit and restart the Special Prosecutors’ Course and develop the most precious resource of the Force – its people? Not outsiders.
The decision to install the twenty nine persons in the Force may be tactical but certainly not strategic. Why not invest in serving members of the Force who have decades of quality service to give to the Force and the country as a whole? Where will the intruders be in the next two years? To hazard a guess, they definitely will not be in the Force. Information received that one has already tendered his resignation and others will follow. Some described the police environment as toxic. The insertion of the twenty nine prosecutors is causing dissatisfaction among the members of the Force. Some see it as a means of stagnating the subordinate officers and other ranks. Is it a case of finding jobs for the boys and girls? Is it another case of political interference in the Guyana Police Force? May God help the Guyana Police Force.
Sincerely,
Clinton Conway
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ret’d)