CHAIRMAN of the Police Complaints Authority, Justice Cecil Kennard, will tomorrow initiate a two-day outreach on the Essequibo Coast to meet first with ranks of the Guyana Police Force at the Richard Faikall Police College at Suddie, where he is expected to discuss his role and functions, and raise matters of concern. Kennard is subsequently scheduled to conduct a similar exercise via the localized RCA Television Station, after which he will be meeting with residents of the community.
Kennard was a member of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the killing of three demonstrators during power tariff protests in Linden on July 18, 2012, and the subsequent report had made several critical observations with regard to the Complaints Authority.

That report had concluded that while there is in place in Guyana a Police Complaints Authority, “it seems to be constrained by lack of sufficient resources, and is not widely known about.”

It was also found that while some of the persons giving testimony at the CoI knew of its existence, several others did not; and those who did, seemed not to have the requisite confidence in its ability to respond to their complaints, notwithstanding the high integrity of those at its helm.

The report has also documented that Kennard, Chairman of the Authority, had made several unsuccessful requests for independent investigators to be made available to that body.

The report did recognize that there have been many outreach visits undertaken by Kennard, and he has made numerous appearances on television and radio to sensitise the public on the existence, role and functions of the Authority, as is planned for this weekend.