IN any country that can call itself a democracy, dispensation of justice, the criminal justice system and the efficiency and efficacy of the security apparatus are lynchpins without which corruption and instability become the order of the day.
In Guyana it can be safely said that the dispensation of justice under our criminal justice system and the state of our security generally are far from perfect. Several projects and programmes funded by the government and by bi-lateral and multilateral funding agencies have been designed to bring about improvements in this critical area. It is the execution and implementation of these programmes and projects however that make a difference; since people execute it, it boils down to personnel – competent, committed, courageous.
It was refreshing and encouraging to me and many others in Linden to see and to hear quite recently on television the commander of E&F Division Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine as he gave a public discourse on, and entertained questions about certain aspects of Guyana’s Criminal Justice system.  He was fearless, knowledgeable, succinct, and demonstrated a keen grasp of where Guyana needs to go in the immediate future with respect to how the main coercive branch of the state’s executive need to approach the implementation of the law as it relates to Guyanese Citizens.
It is a long time since I have listened to or heard a Senior Security Official expound about the law and citizens the way he expounded. It provides reason to hope that Guyana, pretty soon, may have a Cadre of Officers who can implement the law in a fair and just manner.
I do not know who is next in line, vis-a-vis the next Commissioner of Police, but Assistant Commissioner Ramnarine definitely gets my vote.