PSC, OPR hold outreaches in several Police divisions

…to familiarise ranks about Standing Orders, address issues & concerns

Amid calls by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) for Police ranks to be trained, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), a department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), have been holding outreaches in various Police divisions.

During a recent outreach at the Mackenzie Police Station in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), led by PSC Chairman Patrick Findlay, Police ranks were urged to act ethically and abstain from all forms of corruption, in order to better serve the public.
Findlay, among other things, held a brief discussion with ranks on the following topics: the importance of transformational leadership; roles and responsibilities of the PSC; Police professionalism; corrupt practices; criteria for promotion; and acting appointments for Inspectors and officers. He also urged them to be cognizant of their surroundings.
Findlay told them that the Police Force is committed to making scholarships available to them, while advising them on the importance of aligning themselves for upward mobility. In closing, he urged the ranks to adhere to the Police Force’s Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The Division’s Deputy Commander, Deputy Superintendent A Austin, and the Officer in Charge of Crime in that division, Superintendent Bacon, along with other senior and junior Police ranks, were among those who attended the meeting at the Mackenzie Police Station.
Already for this month, the OPR of the Force has engaged with Police ranks from across various divisions, enlightening them about the Standing Orders, and addressing their issues and concerns.
At a recent meeting with Police ranks in Regional Division #9, Head of OPR, Deputy Superintendent Elston Baird, urged ranks to be diligent in their work, to maintain professionalism at all times while on and even off duty, and to desist from tarnishing the image of the Police Force.
The fruitful discussion addressed several burning issues that most ranks face daily while executing their sworn duty to serve and protect. Ranks from various regional stations and sub-divisions were in attendance to benefit from the much-lauded initiative.
Those in attendance were encouraged to always maintain professionalism, and to help in the committed efforts being made to build partnerships and foster trust and unity between the Force and members of the public.
Similar outreaches were also held in Regional Divisions Four, Seven, Three and Two.

In his 2022 report, Chairman of the PCA, Justice (retired) William Ramlal said that an alarmingly high number of Police ranks are ignorant of the Constitution, other laws, and the GPF’s Standing Orders.
According to him, last year he interviewed 300 Police officers from the rank of Senior Superintendent to Rural Constable, inclusive of Community Police, and most of them had little knowledge of the Standing Orders, the Constitution, and other laws.
“These interviews have established that not one Police rank showed knowledge of the Force’s Standing Orders in its entirety, or even in a substantial way.
Likewise, all these ranks have shown very little knowledge of the fundamental rights of citizens, which are clearly written in Articles 138 to 153 of the Constitution. These ranks have shown that they do not have a working knowledge of the following laws, which are used by them on a daily basis,” said Justice Ramlal.
Justice Ramlall further said that 95 per cent of the Police ranks he interviewed did not know anything or anything of significance about their powers of arrest with or without a warrant.
He added, “Based on my interview with the Police personnel, a substantial number of Traffic Police, and others as well, misuse their powers of arrest to intimidate citizens for favour or reward. Likewise, the Police in the Criminal Investigation Department misuse their powers of arrest in summary conviction matters. Arrests are often carried out without any investigation being done, or where there is no reasonable suspicion that someone committed any offence.”
As a result, the PCA Chairman has advised the administration of the Police Force to get competent lawyers to pursue “serious” training of all Police ranks on the law, particularly on the fundamental rights provisions and the application of the law. The
PCA is an independent body that receives and looks into public complaints regarding Police misconduct, and oversees the investigation of any criminal offence allegedly committed by members of the Force. (Fiona Morrison)