Police Divisions to deal with minor 2010 complaints
THE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported, yesterday, that, for this year, it has received a few minor complaints against ranks and they will be dealt with in the respective divisions.

Assistant Commissioner Mohamed Jameer, who heads the OPR, disclosed that, in 2009, most complaints, by members of the public, surrounded neglect in dealing with reports, assault, harassment, corrupt practices and failing to pay incurred debts in a timely manner.

Reminding that the OPR deals with all complaints of unprofessional conduct, he disclosed that it is staffed by eight persons, including two women, all members of the GPF, who take statements and conduct investigations before referring the matters to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

Jameer said the probes vary in timeframe but are usually completed within two or three days, depending on the scope.

He said the more serious cases are placed before the courts while others are dealt with departmentally, where fines are imposed or the errant persons reprimanded.

Jameer said the OPR is open six days a week, including Saturdays, when it closes at 15:00 h but, during the week, it is open from 07:00 h to 18:00 h daily.

According to him, the complainants are usually informed of the status of the investigation, whether any actions were taken against the defaulter, by way of telephone or in writing.

He, however, urged members of the public to report all alleged Police misconduct, assuring that they will be addressed and treated with strict confidentiality.

On December 18, 2009, Police Commissioner Henry Greene had said, at the GPF annual awards ceremony, that the OPR recorded 162 complaints in 2008 and 180 in 2009, an increase of 11 per cent.

He said the statistics showed clearly that the system is working against cops who portray deviant behaviour and 62 of them were prosecuted in Courts for various crimes.