Georgetown: Some of the officers who underwent the two weeks training on professionalism along with the US-based instructors, Chargé d’ Affaires of the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt and other senior ranks of the Police Force
In light of the recent upsurge in crime, the Guyana Police Force continues to train its members to work closely with the public to regain its trust and according to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, public trust is one of the major barriers in effectively fighting crime.
Over the years, local law enforcement has been struggling with the lack of public confidence; as such, the Police Force teamed up with the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Programme (ICITAP) of the United States’ Department of Justice to have some 27 senior ranks undergo a two-week training programme on how to enhance the public trust in the Guyana Police Force.
Delivering the feature address, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan pointed out that he has managed to acquire funds to further equip the Force with the necessary resources needed, noting that these should be used to reduce the spate of crimes in the country.
According to the Minister, the crime rates cannot be reduced with the absence of public trust and confidence in the Police Force. “That confidence can only be built when the individual policeman, whether he be the lowest rank or the most upper rank, lead the examined life; rather than simply urging them to do as he wills. It is not going to happen! We have to be respectful and courteous and exhibit the etiquette that is going to make those people out there feel that this is but a person that is noble and honourable rather than this a person that is deceptive and a bully,” he declared.
Ramjattan recognised that professionalising the Police Force was going to be a “hard task”, but he emphasised the importance of having a law enforcement agency that was led by officers with good leadership skills.
Against this backdrop, the Public Security Minister outlined that all the “rogue cops” needed to be rolled out of the Force. He urged the senior ranks to keep an eye out for these characters so that they can be identified and corrected or be got rid of.
“As Minister, I urge that you spot them immediately and ensure that the reports do come so that we can have a Police Force that is bereft of those who will give it a disreputable character… and I can tell you that when that happens, members of the community come forward and give the information and then you can react,” he stated.
Furthermore, Ramjattan underscored that the Force needed to work on its confidence building process, noting that this can only be done by inculcating professional values in officers through training initiatives such as this.
Meanwhile, Chargé d’ Affaires of the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt, has reiterated his Government’s intentions to collaborating with Caribbean countries to enhance their crime-fighting capacity. Hunt further outlined that for officers to effectively carry out their duties, they must gain and retain the trust and confidence of the communities that they pledge to serve.
“Absent such trust, law enforcement professionals will never receive the community intelligence necessary in order to prevent crimes from happening or the information from community members that is critical to the successful arrest and prosecution of those who engage in criminal activities. The United States is well aware of the importance that the Government of Guyana and the leadership of the Guyana Police Force have placed in addressing the very low levels of citizen confidence in the Police that seem to persist in this society,” he stated.
However, the Embassy official underscored that these efforts would never be sufficient unless there were effective oversight measures to ensure both professional standards and effective procedures were in place to investigate and sanction those officers who violate such standards. According to the Chargé d’ Affaires, sustainability and partnership are key components in developing the capacity of the law enforcement agencies.
Hunt further noted his Government’s intention to foster collaboration between Caribbean countries in improving their crime fighting capabilities. “Our commitment to broad partnerships that advance citizen safety signals underscore the fact that people often understand security in a personal way on their street corners, on a bus to and from work, or in their markets. Forging effective partnerships requires an understanding of and an ability to address fundamental links between local, transnational and white collar crime, and the nexus between these threats and the big social and economical challenges the region faces,” he highlighted.
During the first week of the training, emphasis was placed on internal affairs – investigating the misconduct of Police employees and how to identify what went wrong as well as remedying it. One of the US-based instructors, Gary Bennett, charge the 27 participants to also adopt initiatives on their own that will seek to enhance their professionalism in order for them to be good police officers.
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