Police trainees treated to luncheon by senior officers
Recruits of the Guyana Police Force who are currently undergoing training were treated to a special luncheon by senior ranks on Friday.
The annual luncheon saw trainees being served and waited on by high ranking officers within the Police Force at the Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary, on Friday.
Speaking during the event, Force Training Officer Paul Williams noted that this event has been hosted for a number of years and has become a culture of the organisation. He explained that this initiative serves as an appreciative act to the
Deputy Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine treats trainee ranks at the Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary
recruits, who will be entering the Force soon.
“Throughout their stint as recruits, you find most of the times they would be carrying out instructions so this is a moment where they are treated special with senior persons serving them,” he stated.
According to Williams, the luncheon is also fun for the trainees as they enjoy being served by the hierarchy of the Force.
“The trainees do have fun with it… It is something we see as part of leadership. We are not always there on the driving side, the pushing side; we must show them that softer side so that they will know we can interact on one level,” the Force Training Officer outlined.
This batch of 235 trainees, that will pass out next week, has taken the number of recruits for 2016 up to some 637.
According to Williams, over the years, the strength of the Police Force has been given a significant boost with more successful batches of recruits being brought into the fold. The current capacity of the Guyana Police Force is close to 4000.
He pointed out that following the passing out of this current batch, another set of some 235 recruits are ready to undergo training. Williams noted that the attrition rate at the level of the training college is relatively low.
“Out of a batch of 235, our attrition rate may be the loss of 12 the most. Those who leave – some might have gotten better opportunities while some leave because they cannot withstand the training, probably because of medical reasons, and very few leave/are dismissed on indiscipline behaviours,” he explained.
Nevertheless, the Force’s Training Officer outlined that most of the recruits who are successful during the training have gone out in the field and are doing excellent work. In fact, he disclosed that the Force has seen more qualified
A section of the trainee ranks at the Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary
recruits joining its team.
“We have seen maybe for the past four years, lots of persons with qualifications that are coming on board. Persons who are interested in joining the Force, I would encourage them to come on board because once we have qualified persons, it simply means that the quality of service from the Force will definitely step up,” he remarked.
However, in this vain, Williams urges qualified persons joining the Police Force to do so with an open mind and be prepared to go through the necessary training and ranking structure.
“Some persons when they come on board, immediately they want to go into middle managers’ position and that is one of the particular reasons that qualified persons are deterred from joining. But not because you are qualified, it means you know Police; you have to come, go through the training and from there you are going to progress,” Williams posited.
Among the top officials serving the recruits at the luncheon on Friday were Assistant Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine, Divisional Commanders, the Crime and Traffic Chiefs as well as heads of the various administrative departments within the Police Force. (Vahnu Manikchand)
