APPROXIMATELY 500 past and present members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), occupying both senior and junior positions therein, have been encouraged by the Reverend Dr John O. Smith of the Central Assemblies of God Church in Guyana to stay on the right course, and not be misled and taken in the wrong direction.

He further cautioned that almost everything in the world is now changing and transforming, and they, as police officers, need to ‘get with the programme’ and familiarise themselves with the changes.
Dr Smith was officiating at a Drum Head church service to mark the 174th Anniversary of the Guyana Police Force, held at the drill square of the Tactical Services Unit at force headquarters in Eve Leary, Georgetown when he made the foregoing remarks, and  urged police officers to ensure they are able to determine right and wrong, and to stay on the right side.
To resounding applause, Dr Smith cautioned police officers not to allow rogue policemen and women, or ‘Dirty Harries’, to make them fall in their careers, as he touched on almost everything that impacts the Guyana Police Force both negatively and positively. Issues touched on included ‘shaking down’; salaries paid to police personnel; police being wrongly accused; the similarity of issues being faced by the Guyana Police Force and those being faced by other police bodies around the world; and the issue of doing the job they are being paid to do, and doing it to the best of their ability.
Dr. Smith called on policemen and women to familiarize themselves with what is happening around them, and to understand that times and things are changing around them and the world over; and he said it was time they get up and move with the changing times, once the changes are for the best.
The Force, he said, should position itself to begin delivering service in the context of the 21st century. Given the modernization of all aspects of life, the Force need not be left behind. Dr Smith pointed to the new trends and social networks: Twitter, Facebook, technology, leakage of information, and cautioned that the GPF needs, at all levels, to understand the context in which it lives and the context in which it needs to serve and protect.
He said the Force has come a far way, but there are still areas and certain issues which need to be addressed internally, in order for the Force to be better able to fulfil its mandate to the citizens.
Questioning ranks how the ranks feel when they are in uniform, Dr Smith pointed out that at one point in his life he had also worn the uniform, and he said that a certain respect accompanies the wearer of the uniform. Therefore, he said, the uniform should never be used to take advantage of persons who are not within the system.
He further cautioned the officers that, when they put on their uniforms, they represent the president of the country and the commissioner of police; and irresponsible actions cause unnecessary problems for the police commissioner and senior ranks, as well as the president.
As such, Dr Smith advised, all ranks must ensure that they discharge their duties as police officers in the best possible manner, and with intention to bring credit to the GPF and, ultimately, cause their superiors and even the president to be proud of their work.
With regard to the issue of domestic violence, Dr Smith cautioned that no man should hit a woman, and he made it clear that a woman should also not hit a man, since, he said, he is very aware that women also hit men.
He said that, sometimes, some form of external help is necessary to fix certain issues; and he asserted that the problems of today emanate from the society. Incidentally, the people who are asked to deal with those problems are the men and women in uniform, he said; and they themselves come from the same society and are affected by the same problems they are being asked to solve.
This, he said, explains the bias which members of the public sometimes complain about, and why sometimes their complaints can be substantiated.
He therefore cautioned that all members of the Force need to get a grip of themselves and ensure that whenever they are about to execute their duties, they do so according to standard operating practices of the GPF, which would, at the end of the day, vindicate them should there be any need for inquiries and/or other forms of investigation, both for the GPF and/or the individual.
Reverend Dr Smith also said that, despite the things having been said and presently being said about the Guyana Police Force, the country and its citizens do need and will continue to need an institution like the GPF for their protection.
He said that despite the many bad persons out there, and how huge illegal groups and operations may grow, those persons and/or groups would never be able to outdo the Guyana Police Force.
Dr Smith charged the GPF to ensure that each rank and the institution as a body hold steadfast three very critical values which are not catered for within the laws of any country:  core values, ethics and morals.
At yesterday’s church service, hymns were sung, the holy scriptures were read, and music was rendered by the Guyana Police Force steel band. A signature song was sung by the GPF Choir consisting of only one male among several women.