THE 2016 USAID Report on Guyana has said the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is the institution Guyanese least trust. Established during the colonial period (1839), the GPF motto, “Service and Protection”, has, through the years meant different things, and not necessarily to the well-being of citizens. In the colonial period, it meant not only the maintenance of law and order, but also keeping the colonised ‘in their place’ and ‘protecting’ the colonisers from the colonized. The evolving relationship between the police and citizens have been tepid at best, and stormy at worst.The police are products of the society, and will operate within the framework allowed. They often take their cue from the prevailing political dynamics. The Force has never been socialised to see itself as part of the masses, with equal responsibility to serve and protect as the leadership; but it has seen the masses as being suspects to be contained at all cost. And this perception has seen the Force utilising methods and measures which are often inconsistent with modern policing.

Negative perceptions of the Force are informed by police brutality, ineffective crime fighting strategies, extra-judicial killings, misplacements of court jackets, high rates of unsuccessful prosecutions in courts, bribery, the perpetual demand for ‘a top-up,’ and hostile community interaction. These are the most notable negative traits of the Force.

In each instance, with the application of modern policing techniques — including acceptable universal standard operating procedures, respect for laws and human rights, as well as proper remuneration — negative perceptions can be reduced.

Current efforts through training in ethics and improved public relations strategy, along with partnership training with developed countries, are noted. Recently released statistics showing comparative declines in serious crimes are also positive. While these are aiding in building a positive perception of the Force, almost everyone in society sees the Force in a negative light, and it requires a holistic, structured approach to reduce such perception.
To address the inclination of police officers to accept a bribe or take a ‘top-up’, apart from weeding out corrupt officers, requires examination of the remuneration package, which is less than attractive. The Force is designed to be a professional institution, and if this is to be maintained, it requires necessary investment to treat it as such. To look at remuneration through the lens of the State being unable to pay, and to accept the explanation that recruits leave after a few years, present as symptomatic structural deficiencies in treating with the profession. Avenues have to be pursued to attract professionals into the Force, and salaries can be complemented with incentives and benefits.

There are reports addressing the modernisation of the Force. The Disciplined Services Commission Report (2003), of which current President David Granger was a commissioner, was unanimously approved by the National Assembly in 2010. There is the Linden Commission of Inquiry Report (2013) into the 18th July 2012 police shooting. These are incisive reports, achieved and borne at cost to the State, and they are deserving of attention and having their recommendations implemented.

Though negative perceptions of the Force are not unique to Guyana, as evident in countries such as Jamaica and the United States (U.S), Guyana must not be unique in not addressing those perceptions. This society would recall the late Desmond Hoyte, former President of Guyana and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), and then Leader of the Opposition, making a famous ‘kith and kin’ statement. Where said statement was made during street protests led by the PNCR, and was based on assumption that a predominantly black Police Force would invariably have friends and family members in the protest and would thus be less inclined to deny demonstrators the right to protest, this was not only proven wrong, but became the rallying cry of the opposing side to whip up racial fear.

This flip side of Hoyte’s enunciation is also a factor of consideration in modern policing, and one that has been called for in Guyana, though it never materialised in substantial ways. As Guyana tunes in to U.S conversations, it is seen that calls are being made at the political leadership to have police officers look like persons in the communities they serve. The Force is a military institution, and training advises that the cue is often taken from the leadership, (political and internal) even in instances when leadership violates laws and transgresses rights. History has shown that those who toe the line in wrongdoing, once countenanced by the leadership, are rewarded with promotion.

Recently, there have been bright spots in hearing President Granger, Commander-in-Chief, speaking out against vigilante justice and police shooting of alleged criminals, instead of charging those criminals and bringing them before the court. It was noticed that after his displeasure was made known, the Force moved to act consistent with the laws.

The institution of policing serves an invaluable role in society, and it is important in the discharge of responsibility that, relations with the people are improved. Where society is designed on a system of laws, the ability of the Force to honour its motto has to factor in mutual respect for laws, rights of citizens, and the political leadership empowering the institution with requisite skills, training and resources, including appropriate remuneration to do the job.