Dear Editor,
One has to wonder if the time has not come for the disbanding of the City Constabulary of Georgetown; if the time has not come for the formal handing over of the responsibilities of protecting the city to the national police who are already performing this function and if the time has not come for the property rates of citizens to be better spent.
Every time one hears from the Chief, one hears of the human resource and other constraints faced by the Constabulary, yet they have the resources to provide eight bodyguards to the Mayor and another batch of bodyguards to the Town Clerk plus static security at their residences as though these individuals are Heads of State or Government.
Recently, they received as a gift 30 or more bicycles and allied equipment, and had officers trained in the United States, yet the citizens have never seen more than six bike patrol officers? Can six officers patrol all of the wards of the city effectively?
However, when the notorious parking meter project came into operation, dozens of Constables were found to harass supposedly errant drivers, even pestering the driver and security detail of a former president. Where have these Constables gone to?
Now we hear of an epiphany the Mayor has awakening out of 24 years of slumber to realise that the Constables are on the take. Oh please! What is City Hall, Comedy Central? Is she ‘Sally in the Alley’?
Even a small private security force engaged by the vendors of the Bourda Market has proven to be more effective capturing a criminal in just a few weeks of their engagement. Is that not convincing enough?
All we hear from the Constabulary is the shooting to death of mentally-ill young men, sexual assaults against minors, arms, ammunition and bulletproof vests going missing, the pillaging of its training school, fights in its headquarters with citizens, beatings by senior officers of their paramours, bail money and welfare money going missing, shaking down of vendors, and harassment of business persons.
And when their Chief is asked about it, all he has to say is in terms of this, and in terms of that, and in terms of the other.
Sincerely,
Roseanne Rodgers
