Police must end “cover-up culture” – acting President

…calls for rooting out of rogue cops

Acting President, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips had a stern message for the top brass of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Saturday when he attended the inaugural Integrity in Policing Symposium: Root out the rogue cops dragging down the Force’s image.
Phillips, who was representing President Dr Irfaan Ali following his departure for the COP26 Summit in Scotland, gave the feature address during the opening ceremony of the symposium at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
The prime minister spoke of the importance of the GPF creating a culture of integrity, noting that the Police cannot fulfil their mandate if they do not have the trust and confidence of the wider Guyanese society. This means an end to the “cover up” culture.
“When you see something wrong, you have to report it; you have to investigate it, not cover up…you cannot have a command culture or climate where people are waiting their turn to get into a position to commit abuses and misappropriations; that will not help the Force…if you do not have integrity, your organisation will suffer,” Phillips said.

Additionally, Phillips urged the leadership of the GPF to manage the organisation in a consistent and transparent manner while upholding the tenets of good policing, since one bad apple could tarnish the image of the entire Force.
“If we have an officer who sets the bar and is leading and has the right command climate – no-nonsense, not accepting or covering up matters that impinge on the integrity of his subordinates, and then we have another commander who is doing something different, it wouldn’t be long before you see the difference,” he said.
One recommendation the Prime Minister made to acting Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie was that every member of the Force should have, at all times, a booklet listing the values and standards of the GPF as a reminder.
For his part, the acting Commissioner admitted that some of the ranks did not demonstrate characteristics that are in keeping with the core values of the Force when interfacing with members of the public. This results in some ranks being discourteous and unprofessional, using abusive language and excessive force. The vices even extend to some ranks using public office for private gain by collecting bribes.
“Some frontline ranks engage members of the public in an impolite, unethical and disrespectful manner, which results in dissatisfaction with Police services… public trust and confidence are most likely to be engendered through the action of Police ranks with interfacing with members of the public where ranks must demonstrate core values that are inherent to good Police ranks,” Hoppie said.
Among the items on the agenda for today’s symposium was a discussion on approaches to improve integrity by British consultant Michelle King. Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia and members of the Joint Services were also at the event. (G3)