On July 4th, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) announced the rotation of three Executive Leadership Team (ELT) members as a part of what it said was its modernisation plan.
As a result, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ag), Ravindradat Budhram, who was head of Operations is now head of Administration. Deputy Commissioner (ag), Calvin Brutus, who was the head of Administration is now the head of Special Branch. Assistant Commissioner, Errol Watts, who was head of special branch is now head of Operations.
The GPF in a brief statement refuted what it were several social media posts and online news reports about a “shake-up” among the top brass of the force. According to the GPF, the rotation of officers was a management tool that is used to create and foster efficiency in an organisation.
A week later, the GPF announced that consequent to allegations of financial impropriety levelled against Deputy Commissioner (ag) Brutus on social media and by “established media houses”, he had since requested permission to proceed on annualised vacation leave with immediate effect to facilitate an investigation in the best interest of the Guyana Police Force.
Permission was granted by the Commissioner of Police through the prescribed procedure, a brief statement from the police said.
The entanglement of any senior policeman in anything that can further undermine the police force must be addressed swiftly and frontally. It is commendable that Mr Brutus has seen it fit to want to clear his name, an imperative which is even more important for the force.
Shouldn’t the police force itself have moved on its own in this direction? Its statement just a week earlier was dismissive of what it referred to as social media and some established media houses. It now appears to have been a thinly veiled attempt to distract from the concerns about Mr Brutus. Did the top brass of the force pay keen attention to the allegations of financial impropriety? Did the Commissioner of Police launch an investigation of these allegations? That would have been the appropriate thing to do.
The PPP/C government and its key agencies have honed the technique of enabling embattled public officials to proceed on leave when they face serious allegations rather than suspend them from office. That again is a ploy to create the impression that the matter is not serious and also to enable the person facing the allegation to appear as if they are operating in a principled manner.
The key question now is who will investigate the allegations swirling around Mr Brutus? It obviously cannot be the police force though any move in that direction would fall into line with how this government conducts itself. The investigation has to be independent both in substance and appearance and has to be undertaken by someone the public will have confidence in. Several investigations undertaken here by the Regional Security System have left more questions than answers.
Corruption and criminal behaviour remain major problems in the Guyana Police Force. It has been this way for decades under the PPP/C and runs the full gamut from `lef or write’ to all types of sophisticated schemes and outright criminality. It has never been addressed in any fundamental way as the PPP/C government’s desire for political control of the force requires it to make senior policemen beholden to it and to then use them.
Under this administration there has been a remarkable amount of hoopla around the force that attempts to mask the deep-seated problems. There have been many well-meaning initiatives including frequent outreaches to communities but none of those things mean anything if corruption thrives and is underpinned by connections to the business classes and organized crime. The current gold smuggling scandal and the failure of high-profile criminal investigations are reflective of the insidiousness of corruption in the force.
If the GPF is serious about professionalism it will be reflected in the probe of the allegations against Deputy Commissioner (ag) Brutus.
