As he reflected on his first posting which he thought was bitter sweet since he was away from his home and his family. Mr. Jessemy recalls that he was transferred as a uniform rank to ‘G’ Division on the Essequibo Coast as a General Duties Rank where it didn’t take long for his colleagues to recognise that he had a good future in the Force. He was very disciplined and so he became a Court Orderly and as he expressed “being a Court Orderly in those days you were a Prosecutor, a Confidant and much more, in fact, the constables use to see you above them even though we were all the same rank”.
Mr. Jessemy was stationed at the Court Superintendents’ Office for six years before completing the CID Induction Course and began his journey as a CID Field Detective. He continued to work in ‘G’ Division and in the year 1992 he was promoted to Corporal and seven years later he became a Sergeant. However, for a short while Mr. Jessemy returned to the Court Office and there he was promoted Inspector after which he served as the Divisional Detective Inspector for the Essequibo Coast and it became a trend that where ever he went thereafter he was either the Deputy Detective Office or the Deputy Detective Inspector.
Mr. Jessemy was transferred to ‘D’ Division as the Officer In-charge of Crime where he reflected on achieving a personal goal that is being the crime rank in every Division within the Force as an accomplishment that only a few persons in the Force have achieved, even those who have risen to tremendous heights in the Organisation. He also worked in ‘A’ Division where he was most challenged even though he excelled from an Inspector to Senior Superintendent, he recalls sleepless nights and taking crime reports in the mornings as early as 03:45-04:00h and still having to reach to work on time. He believes he would have some difficulties adjusting since he is accustomed to an early start, each day.
“Discipline has a face, he reflected, I would have loved to have a tertiary education…” Words of the wise is worth more than a million dollars “I can only implore on the ranks to be of good character, discipline and when the opportunity presents itself get a good tertiary education because they will come a time when a bottleneck will exist in the organisation and those with character, discipline, and tertiary education will be pushed through and rise to the top” as this stalwart was expressing the thought that he never went to high school or the university. The things that drove him to success, were tremendous discipline and the knack to always seek knowledge. “Discipline builds character, you can rise to the highest point in this organisation, the zenith and you can be ridiculously intelligent, but once you don’t have discipline (character) you will fall in fact you may not even rise at all. So being discipline is what I believe in even though I would have loved to have a tertiary education to build this character”.
The road is never easy for someone who spent thirty-five years in the Force and Mr Jessemy did reminisce on his hardship while being a serving member but he was able to use those hardships as stepping stones to become the person he is today, using his experience to counsel other ranks who believe in leaving the organization and think they may find something better, but he posits that “ the Force is like a family you have the comradery and the brace that no other place can give and even after spending thirty-five years even more that you would have spent with your birth family, day by day the Force creates that supporting and nourishing environment where the ranks become your brothers and sisters”.
“My reason to join the Guyana Police Force was because I was actually among 12 siblings in my family and I left school at the age of 17, because of an injustice that was meted to me by a teacher. So I was at home for a while doing a lot of reading, there wasn’t a G.T. Edson, W. Moore, L. Sanders and many others that I didn’t read, so my grandmother asked me this question are you going to be reading your life away?, you need to get a job. Life was not easy for me as a child, each class had a Jessemy or sometimes two and poverty was at its zenith and I just wanted to get out from this life. My first shot at getting out was at the Burnham Agriculture School in North West. I stayed there for two years because I wanted to be away from the poverty stricken place called home. I was then offered a job as a teacher to teach in Karasabai and Sand Creek and I didn’t even know where to find such place so at that time I returned home with my farmer’s certificate”.
After a few years a friend came to me and said listen “you know you could be a Police” so I said “what nah man me ah police” but the pressure was holding me down so I called my friend and I followed my friend Johnson to Eve Leary and as I reflected, when I reached the Stelling I saw the big clock as we started to walk because I knew not the streets nor corners. When we arrive at the Training Institution I did the exams and I passed and when I came out to tell my friend the great news he had already left so I started to cry. My training had commenced and time had passed and I was placed to work at Rabbit Walk and that was my out, I started walking that night with my bags bearing right until I saw the clock. I caught the boat and made my way home. The following day a police vehicle pulled up at my house and took me back. The facts are, I never wanted to join the Force but poverty was the force that compelled me to and so I stayed and grew to love it and here I am today”.
His words of advice he would like to leave with his fellow colleagues and members of the Force are “hard work, education, and discipline”. With no elaborate plans for his retirement but to spend quality time with his family, however, he plans on exploring other job opportunities.
“I would love to remain in the Guyana Police Force, but I have to go because my leaving creates an opening for someone who is aspiring to full my portfolio (Deputy Crime Chief). I must say that I am happy because some people for one reason or the other fell short. But I will tell you the truth I have never wanted to be the Commissioner of Police, all I wanted was to be is a good Policeman”.
Senior Supertintendent Hugh Jesemy officially retires on Sunday, October 01, 2017. The Commissioner of Police, Officers and other ranks of the Force wish Mr. Jessemy long life and prosperity as he ventures into civilian mode, and may his transition be smooth and fulfilling.
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