Guyana Police Force celebrating 185 years of service

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday commenced its 185th anniversary celebrations with the traditional Drum Head Church Service at the Police Officers’ Mess Annexe, Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown.
Speaking with this publication, one of the forces Public Relations Officers, Stan Gouveia, said that several other exciting activities that have been planned to mark this special occasion. One highlighted activity was the Semifinals of the GPF debate competition which is slated for the sixth of July.
“We have got the debate finals and this is something that has started a while back, as a matter of fact this weekend we have the semifinals which is going to see obviously four teams battling for a place in the finals” he stated.
Gouveia noted that this competition was initialised to showcase the talent of the members of the GPF. Gouveia also noted that the GPF is currently in the process of increasing the number of skilled persons in the organisation as such he highlighted that an award ceremony will be held during the month to honor persons who would’ve taken the step to advance their education to the tertiary level.
“This year the police are seeking to honor all those who have obtained in the GPF from a degree all the way up to a doctorate,” he stated.
Gouveia noted that that events of such nature is part of the GPF strategic effort to encourage more persons in the organisation to obtain higher qualifications.
Additionally, he noted that the GPF in an effort to better server citizens has been building relationships with members of the public over the years, In this regard he highlighted that in observance of the organisations 185th anniversary the GPF will be conducting a Police Officers symposium to further bolster public relationships.
“This is where they’re going to be having discussions on some critical issues and topics that really impact society and policing, as part of us being able to move from the Guyana Police Force to the Guyana Police Service it’s looking at how we are modernising certain aspects of policing and how we are integrating the relationship with civilians and police to make it a more harmonious approach” he posited.
Gouveia also note that more women are currently equipping themselves with the skills and knowledge to take up senior roles within the organisation he highlighted that to date, the GPF work force is comprised of some 40% females.