LATE Assistant Police Commissioner and ‘A’ Division Commander of the Guyana Police Force, Derrick Peter Josiah, was yesterday buried with full military honours following a hero’s farewell in form of a thanksgiving service held in his home community of Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara.

His body was up for viewing at four locations leading up to a spirited Thanksgiving Service at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground, before being finally interred at the Sharon Hall Christian Brethren graveyard at Stewartville, West Coast Demerara.
First viewing of the body took place at the Sandy’s Funeral Home in Chapel Street, Lodge, and this was followed by a private viewing at his home in Uitvlugt. There was another viewing at the Maranatha Assembly of God Church at Uitvlugt, making way for the final viewing by literally thousands gathered at the community centre ground before start of the thanksgiving service.

Among those attending the thanksgiving service were Head of State, President Donald Ramotar; Opposition Leader and Leader of the coalition ‘A Partnership for National Unity’ (APNU),Brigadier (retd)David Granger; Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Raphael Trotman; Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee; Assistant Secretary General of the Caricom Secretariat (CARICOM), Ambassador Lolita Applewaithe; Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell, DSM, and the entire hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier General Mark Phillips, and other senior staff of the GDF; and Reverend Raphael Massiah, Executive Secretary of the Assemblies of God Church in Guyana.

Officiating pastor was Reverend Edward T. Boyal of the Maranatha Assemblies of God Church at Uitvlugt.

In a deluge of glowing tributes to the memory of Commander Josiah, speakers included President Donald Ramotar; Brigadier (retd) David Granger; Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell; Brigadier General Mark Phillips, and Reverend Raphael Massiah, all of whom spoke highly of Assistant Commissioner Josiah’s personal attributes, credited highly his service to the Guyana Police Force, and reminisced on the impact he had made on persons in both military and civilian life, whose lives he had touched in myriad ways.

Extending condolences to the bereaved widow and other family members, as well as the Guyana Police Force, President Ramotar commended the quality of service Josiah had rendered to the GPF, and asked that mourners take comfort in considering the life Josiah had lived and the quality of service he had rendered to the GPF.

The Head of State said that service is important if one were to live a purposeful life, and added that Josiah’s was indeed a noble profession, which involved putting his life on the line in the fight against criminal and anti-social elements and in execution of his duties.
“I think we can console ourselves in the fact that he has made a big contribution to the force and fighting for the security of the people of our country,” President Ramotar said.

Brigadier David Granger reflected on the last communication he had had with Derrick Josiah, and the injuries Josiah has sustained in the accident of November 10 which regrettably had signalled the beginning of the end for him.

Granger said he hopes the Guyana Police Force would understand that too many people are dying on the nation’s roads, and quoted Crime Chief Seelal Persaud that the number of fatalities now amounts to about 10 per month. In this regard, Granger insisted that it is about time the police make concerted efforts to make the roads safer. He said that by all accounts, and based on every tribute he’s been reading over the last few days about the fallen policing icon, the late Asst. Commissioner Josiah is to be rated as a quality officer.

Reverend Massiah described the late Commander as a “consummate public servant” who lived an exemplary life. Having begun in the service of God, he ended up in the public domain. Nevertheless, in all he did, he fully understood that one of these days he would have to stand before his creator, and give an account for things done – good or evil — and that was his motivation.

He said it is his wish that Josiah’s colleagues would take, if not the whole book, ‘a page’ out of his book and apply it in their lives.

Commissioner Brummel said the Guyana Police Force had lost an icon. He gave an account of Josiah’s service and accomplishments within the police force, reflecting a very brilliant career. On a very emotional note, he asserted, “I’d say he has not died,” and added, “Derrick was a strong example of what a dedicated police Officer should be.”

And Brigadier General Mark Phillips of the GDF, commenting on the life Josiah had lived, conceded that Josiah’s life had impacted and touched all with whom he had come into contact. Reflecting that Josiah delivered work at a very high professional level, the Brigadier said, “He was always a happy person, who changed the atmosphere everywhere he went, exuding a positive aura.

“He will be remembered for his intellect, Christian qualities; his warmth and robust concern for all with whom he interacted,” Phillips said. He called on the mourners and sympathizers to pause for a while during their grief to reflect on the earthly work of Josiah.

And representatives of Help and Shelter gratefully acknowledged the work of the late Josiah, who was a strong advocate for bringing an end to domestic violence, and worked assiduously to promote this cause.

Of his association with Help and Shelter, she asserted, “He was a friend in need, a friend indeed.”

There were many other tributes, all of which spoke volumes about the admirable attributes of Derrick Josiah – a wonderful, caring and industrious husband; a father to those of his household, including his two grandchildren and, not least, the thousands in the Guyana Police Force who had been under his charge.

Officiating Pastor, Reverend Edward Boyal, recalled his first meeting with Derrick Josiah, and reminisced with admiration on Josiah great passion for God and the way he stood resolutely for the things of God.

He said Josiah was baptized at the age of 13, and he recalled with pride the way Josiah had been able to combine the spiritual with the secular, yet not lose focus on the things of God. “He was a strong and real man. We all have been touched by his life and/or work, but the person behind it all was Jesus,” Pastor Boyal declared.

For him, Josiah’s life was a sermon exemplified. It graphically highlighted just how possible it is to have firm faith in Christ and yet be a member of the military or paramilitary.

The thanksgiving programme was spiced with solos, dance pieces and other forms of entertainment, in which sections of the GPF featured prominently and performed expertly.
The programame was expertly delivered and well received, and did a lot to dispel the pall of gloom that had initially overhung the community playfield.

At the end of the service, however, a new surge of pain was experienced as the mournful wail of sirens told the sad tale that the late Assistant Police Commissioner Deryck Peter Josiah was on his way to be entombed. Ceremoniously, the casket was taken back to the waiting hearse, bourne by the top brass of the GPF, and literally hundreds of ranks smartly attired in ceremonial dress took up their positions and, at the command, broke into slow march, then later quick march, making their way in procession to the graveyard, about half of a mile away from the play aground.

At the graveside, Commander Josiah who accorded a 21-gun salute, and the crackling sounds filling the air at this normally festive season were not sounds of fire crackers, but those made in recognition of a fallen stalwart of the military ilk.
Written By Shirley Thomas