‘I can justify my decision’
Newly-installed Commissioner of Police Leslie Albert James receiving his instrument of appointment from President David Granger
Newly-installed Commissioner of Police Leslie Albert James receiving his instrument of appointment from President David Granger

…President says he relied on PSC recommendation to appoint Top Cop

President David Granger says he can justify his appointment of newly installed Commissioner of Police, Leslie James while overlooking Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), David Ramnarine who had acted in that capacity for several months.
The Head-of-State was at the time speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of the Presidency on Friday, when he noted that the selection of the Commissioner of Police is regulated by the constitution and every stage is mandated. He explained that the Police Service Commission (PSC) and its chairman had to be consulted and after deliberations, recommendations were made and after careful assessment and examinations, a final decision was made.

“The PSC conducted interviews, had access to files in the Police Force so that when you find officers who have been serving for 30 years, there has been a record of their performance over a long period of time and I relied very heavily on the advice I got from the PSC, so as far as the selection process is concerned, I can justify my decisions and I am sure the chairman of the commission can also justify his recommendations,” the President said.
James was appointed as the 12th Commissioner of Police with immediate effect on Thursday. He will be supported by four deputy commissioners, namely Lyndon Alves, Maxine Graham, Nigel Hoppie and Paul Williams.

The four deputies will be responsible for Operations, Administration, Law Enforcement and Special Branch/ Intelligence of the Force. The President said that the appointments pave the way for the Force to be more efficiently managed, including having a system of succession planning, notably training others in preparation for high office. The Head of State noted that the security of the State and the safety of the Guyanese people rest on the police force and the officers who command it.

“Unless those officers are persons of integrity, intelligence and impartiality, this country will never be secure and our women and children will never be safe. This country cannot move forward unless the Guyana Police Force preserves the environment, the peace and security of the State and the people to allow us all to go about our work without being harassed, without being threatened,” the President said.

President Granger also added that the Office of Commissioner of Police is not a toy, a trinket or a tool of political favour or patronage. The President noted that the police force, for far too long, has gone through a “dark” period but this must be reversed if the safety and security of Guyanese are to be assured. “Countrywide, this country faces challenges. On our western border with Venezuela, we have [migrants] coming in by the day.

On the southern border, we still have aircraft landing, bringing strange substances. Along our coast, we still have traces of smuggling and piracy, contraband, gun running, narcotics trafficking. Along the coastal areas, women are still being attacked and abused, robberies take place, and unfortunately, too many rogue police officers have been found to be involved in these crimes. We have come through a long dark period in Guyanese history. It makes me weep to think about the number of policemen who were killed between 2000 and 2010; never before in the history of the police force and it must never happen again in this country. Never before has the police been so badly used that many of them were accused of being complicit with narcotics traffickers, gunrunners, tax evaders and assorted smugglers. There are not many but those few have given the Police Force a bad name,” he said.

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