IN recent years the Guyana Police Force has come under severe pressure due to heightened criminal activities, many of which are carried out with the use of weapons of all types. The nature of crimes committed here has taken a turn similar to that of the more violent societies; consequently, the resources of the police have been really stretched.
Apart from the pressures of the job the police have also come under scathing criticisms for corruption and inefficiency. Sometimes these criticisms are justified while in other instances they are unjustified. This is normal in any democratic country, but what is noticeable in our country is that when our police perform well they are not given the commendation they deserve with the same energy and vigour with which they are criticised when things go wrong.
There are some in our midst who behave as if our police never do anything right. But that is definitely not so. What the cynics are actually doing is using the failures of the police to get at the government, as if it is sitting back and allowing these things to happen. The reality is that never in the history of this country so many resources have been placed at the disposal of the Guyana Police Force. If anyone denies that he/she is surely burying his/her head in the sand.
What the critics fail to mention is the fact that the job of the police force is made tougher because of the fact that many criminals are being protected, harboured and aided by civilians who apparently receive a share of the booty. In fact, the police are being treated as if they are the criminals, while the criminals are being hailed as heroes in some quarters, even though their lives and limbs are at risk on a daily basis.
During the infamous Buxton siege, the criminals involved were being described as “freedom fighters” by some in our midst, as if to say that we have a dictatorship which was being challenged. And prior to that, the notorious “Blackie” London was given a hero’s funeral by one political party, draping his coffin with our National Flag-the Golden Arrowhead. So even the blind, would see that through the naked collusion between political forces/civilians and the criminals the job of the police is being made more difficult.
The aftermath of the 1997 elections was another example of open collusion between criminals and political forces which some are still trying desperately to deny. However, truth can be delayed but never hidden forever.
Many have forgotten or pretend to forget that the police under the PNC government were used to terrorise, victimize and harass political opponents. They have also forgotten that the police had even sold that party’s newspaper, New Nation, publicly coercing motorists to buy.
Under the doctrine of paramountcy of the party our security forces had to pledge loyalty to the PNC rather than to the state.
It was from such a background that this government has had to rebuild our security forces to make them into a professional outfit which by no means is an easy and overnight task.
However, the capturing of the four bandits on Tuesday by the police in a swift and professional manner shows that slowly but surely we are developing a professional outfit which is more responsive to our national security needs.
The police need to be given high commendation for doing an excellent job in nabbing those criminals.
Unfortunately the cynics among us will remain silent on this good work of the police, instead waiting like a leopard to pounce on them when something goes wrong, forgetting the nearly two dozen policemen whose lives were snuffed out by the criminals during the Buxton siege.