— acting Commissioner Ramnarine

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) in the past year has been able to attract a number of highly qualified persons into its ranks, a positive development for the force which has been seeking to raise its standards of professionalism.Between 2015 and 2016, of the number of persons recruited, 56 were holders of between five and eight subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).
In addition, 15 applicants had 10 or more subjects at CSEC, six had diplomas and the same number had degrees, acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine told reporters on Friday.
“Today, it is obvious that the force is very attractive; it’s a place where now, people with degrees and diplomas are serving as an encouragement to others who may wish to join later. The last intake that we have was someone with a degree in law and another with a degree in economics,” he said.
The acting police commissioner noted that last year, 18 ranks graduated from the University of Guyana — four with degrees and 14 with diplomas.
Meanwhile, a number of officers and ranks are studying at UG and several are due to graduate soon.
In 2015, Commissioner Ramnarine reported that 36 officers from the rank of cadet officer to assistant commissioners and 17 other ranks had completed various sponsored programmes.
This, he said, will assist in sustaining and maintaining capacity and capability in the Police Force.
The acting Top Cop also noted that in 2016, more ranks from cadet officer to senior superintendent were trained compared to the previous year.
Some 53 junior ranks also received training.
Next month, the force will receive training from four overseas groups that will be visiting Guyana. These groups include The United Kingdom Border Force, Impact Justice Training, Cave Hill School of Business and the Justice Education Society of Canada.
“We are very fortunate to be receiving so much training within the last few years, it is intended to build capacity and capability, it is to deliver a better quality of service to the public. We are extremely thankful and grateful,” Ramnarine emphasised.
He said improvements must be seen, since it is not business as usual.
“The purpose of an education is to ensure that the individual can make right choices, make proper decisions, conduct their lifestyles in a certain way, discharge their duties in an acceptable manner, all to the benefit of the greater society,” the acting Top Cop said.