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THE police force holds a pivotal place in the life and operations of any state and for this reason they must be treated with the utmost care and importance it deserves. They form the force or service (whichever word you would like to use) on which law and order and the smooth running of society hinges, without them we will descend into chaos and confusion. Simply put we will become a lawless society. Judging from my opening statements then the police force should be given the necessary tools to work with such as hardware and vital equipment for its day to day functioning. It cannot be overemphasised, that is, the aspect of hardware to get to and from a crime scene along with the serious way vital information is stored these are all critical ways to strengthen a force’s effectiveness. Guyana is some way away in achieving this. Nevertheless help is on the way.
Another area of concern is its manpower and this has to do with the force’s recruitment programme. There needs to be thorough background checks on those who would wish to join the force. Recruits must go through strict transparent or micro-thin checks in order to get into the force. The age old recruitment scheme of the youngster who cannot learn in school but is strong and powerful the “no brains but brawn” factor lands you a job in the police force. This must be done away with.
But let me get back to the main purpose for my article today, the way policing is viewed which is twofold pre and post 1992.
Prior to 1992 the brute force of the force brought success, you did not “mess with the police.” Even the justices were circumspect with there judgments in court when confession statements were the order of the day. All the police had to do was to beat the daylight out of a criminal, note my words a criminal because once you were in the hands of the police pre- 1992 you were a criminal pure and simple. That criminal would then give a confession statement which was easy pickings for the court system. In the modern era these individuals are called “suspects” and their confession statements outlawed.
There is also the sabre-rattling by the opposition whenever the police is hot on the heels of one of “their boys.” They go after the police with such zeal that only they can muster making the usual worn out statements as “it is the wrong guy … the suspect was beaten into making a confession statement.”
So I was not in the least impressed by their sympathies in the Cleto case, far less the talk of the lawmen finding his killer. These “sympathetic judases” gloat over the misfortunes of the force. They have an amen corner when the killer is not caught. The opposition is notorious for its subversive activities. Just to name a few we are familiar with the London “Blackie” case, “skinny and Fineman” as well as the glorification of the murderer Douglas.
When Enrico Wolford interviewed him sporting that AK-47 he was not in any way trying to help the police rather, he was there to taunt them, make a fool out of them. In many instances you can hear them openly say “kill the police.” This is the Guyana they want to see materialise where chaos and mayhem reign. The fact that they are not in power nothing ought to go right. Society must be turned upside down. Their motto and agenda is to bring the government down by any means necessary.
In closing, the police force is and will be the only agent through which law and order can be maintained in society. They are not perfect like all other police forces. Therefore we must work with them to see the professional change that is so vital for a safe and prosperous society. The Opposition has shown time and time again that they are not on the same page with government and civil society hence these two entities must go it alone, they must act wisely in moving the process of modernization forward. The minister has set up a task force to see that change Let us work towards that goal for a better society.
Another area of concern is its manpower and this has to do with the force’s recruitment programme. There needs to be thorough background checks on those who would wish to join the force. Recruits must go through strict transparent or micro-thin checks in order to get into the force. The age old recruitment scheme of the youngster who cannot learn in school but is strong and powerful the “no brains but brawn” factor lands you a job in the police force. This must be done away with.
But let me get back to the main purpose for my article today, the way policing is viewed which is twofold pre and post 1992.
Prior to 1992 the brute force of the force brought success, you did not “mess with the police.” Even the justices were circumspect with there judgments in court when confession statements were the order of the day. All the police had to do was to beat the daylight out of a criminal, note my words a criminal because once you were in the hands of the police pre- 1992 you were a criminal pure and simple. That criminal would then give a confession statement which was easy pickings for the court system. In the modern era these individuals are called “suspects” and their confession statements outlawed.
There is also the sabre-rattling by the opposition whenever the police is hot on the heels of one of “their boys.” They go after the police with such zeal that only they can muster making the usual worn out statements as “it is the wrong guy … the suspect was beaten into making a confession statement.”
So I was not in the least impressed by their sympathies in the Cleto case, far less the talk of the lawmen finding his killer. These “sympathetic judases” gloat over the misfortunes of the force. They have an amen corner when the killer is not caught. The opposition is notorious for its subversive activities. Just to name a few we are familiar with the London “Blackie” case, “skinny and Fineman” as well as the glorification of the murderer Douglas.
When Enrico Wolford interviewed him sporting that AK-47 he was not in any way trying to help the police rather, he was there to taunt them, make a fool out of them. In many instances you can hear them openly say “kill the police.” This is the Guyana they want to see materialise where chaos and mayhem reign. The fact that they are not in power nothing ought to go right. Society must be turned upside down. Their motto and agenda is to bring the government down by any means necessary.
In closing, the police force is and will be the only agent through which law and order can be maintained in society. They are not perfect like all other police forces. Therefore we must work with them to see the professional change that is so vital for a safe and prosperous society. The Opposition has shown time and time again that they are not on the same page with government and civil society hence these two entities must go it alone, they must act wisely in moving the process of modernization forward. The minister has set up a task force to see that change Let us work towards that goal for a better society.
