The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has announced a more holistic approach to dealing with reports of assault and misconduct levied against officials of the City Constabulary.
Town Clerk Royston King
Town Clerk Royston King told Guyana Times that discussions have been facilitated with Chief Constable Andrew Foo to address the issue.
Additionally, the M&CC’s Human Resources Management Committee now has the responsibility of recording these cases.
“We have since had discussions with the Chief Constable. The second thing we’ve done is: we have removed reporting responsibilities, particularly in the area of human resources, from under the Legal Affairs Committee to the Human Resources Management Committee,” King told this publiation.
King also announced that additional consultations would be held with the City Council to emphasise the focus being placed on the way the public is treat by Constabulary officials.
“It has to come up to Council for a discussion; we want to have a more focused approach, (especially in regard to) how we manage the Constab human resources, particularly in terms of discipline and sanctions against misconduct,” King posited.
It was also related that the Council is seeking to implement training for all officers attached to the City Constabulary.
“I have engaged a training officer of the City Council to provide a schedule of training activities for officers and ranks of the Constabulary. I have written the Chief Constable to ask him (about) reports on some allegations [that] I have been receiving with respect to misconduct of some of the ranks,” King detailed.
There have been, in the past, numerous reports of City Constabulary officers being involved in acts of misconduct with citizens.
In one instance, a taxi driver who allegedly was unlawfully arrested by the City Constabulary has accused the officers of assaulting him. The man had allegedly parked his vehicle outside the National Hardware building on Water Street when he was approached by three officers of the Constabulary and accused of obstructing the flow of traffic. An eyewitness at the scene, who subsequently spoke to this publication, revealed that Mohabir was not guilty of the accusations levelled against him, since his vehicle, HB 3474, was parked within the demarcated lines.
It was also noted that there was, in the area, no traffic buildup which could have caused a disturbance in traffic.
Mohabir was subsequently released on $5,000 bail.
