27 trained Police Prosecutors to boost performance at Magistrate’s Courts

Complaints from Magistrates countrywide about the poor performance by Police prosecutors have led to 27 Police ranks completing a rigorous six-month internationally accredited prosecutorial programme at Nations University, New Market Street, Georgetown.
This was revealed by Assistant Commissioner Calvin Brutus while he addressed a graduation ceremony on Friday for 27 Police officers and two employees of the Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department, who recently completed the first-ever Elementary Prosecutors’ Course.

For the longest while, Brutus admitted that there has been a shortage of trained Police officers to represent the State in criminal matters at the various Magistrates Courts.
“We have had oral and written complaints from Magistrates in different districts. We have had complaints about the performance of prosecutors in the courts. We have also had a shortage of trained prosecutors due to many reasons… retirement and other reasons as well.”
He said that the fastest way to address this issue properly was to engage with Nations University to customise a prosecutor’s training course to suit the needs of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
Emphasising that prosecutors are key to society, Brutus told the graduates, “You play a part in determining the life of individuals who are before the court and even those outside of the court. Your presentations at court in representing the State in summary criminal matters would impact the lives of victims, suspects, and their respective families, friends, and colleagues.”
In execution of their duties, he reminded them that they ought to be guided by the provisions to secure protection of the law pursuant to Article 144 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of Guyana—the overarching basis upon which the prosecutors’ code is built.

The Assistant Commissioner told the prosecutors that they have to be fair in presenting the evidence before the court and not seek to “fill in the gaps” or “manipulate” the evidence to secure a conviction. “Your duties as prosecutors are not to strive and to go overboard to convict someone, you are to ensure that you assist the court to deliver justice. Ensure that justice is done in a fair and transparent manner. If there is insufficient evidence that cannot be cured by legal ways, then the court will decide the way forward at the end of the trial,” he added.
The Elementary Prosecutors’ Course is internationally recognised, as the course content, assessment, and grading process were vetted by ABMA Education — an awarding organisation in the United Kingdom (UK) offering QFQUAL regulated and professional qualifications in the UK and internationally.
It is aimed at equipping ranks with the necessary procedural and substantive laws related to criminal prosecutions. The purpose and objective of the training are to improve the efficiency of Police ranks in executing their prosecutorial duties.
Those who graduated are: a superintendent, a deputy superintendent, four sergeants, six corporals, three lance corporals, and 12 constables.
During the six months course, the ranks were exposed to learning, comprising 624 hours, of which 294 were guided learning and 330 hours of independent study – covering 196 lessons across 261 topics, ranging from understanding the duties of prosecutors to trial advocacy.
It is being accepted by the University of London (UoL) as an entry requirement into its Bachelor of Laws programme, which is being offered by Nations University, one of UoL’s recognised teaching centres. Brutus informed the ranks that the GPF will provide them with scholarships if they desire to pursue this undergraduate degree.
Currently, another batch of Police ranks is attending the Elementary Prosecutors’ Course at Nations University which will run annually for the next five years.
Last October, the Police Force and Nations University signed the first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to undertake prosecutorial training for Police ranks.