NO ONE would argue that police ranks have let the people of this nation down time and again. But equally true is the fact that police have come through brilliantly for this nation, even at the risk of their own lives, when anarchy and mayhem prevailed, with criminals running amok, slaughtering the innocent in the land.

The demise under fire of Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins, Lindon “Blackie” London, and many others of their ilk and their gangs have written in the annals of the history of the Guyana Police Force that there are indeed heroes in the lawmen’s ranks. And the fact that there are also rogues and villains should not obviate the fact that many of those heroes have sacrificed their lives to protect this nation.

When ranks come under fire and they return fire, they are often criticized and condemned, especially by those who have nefarious agendas inimical to the welfare of the nation; yet, when they are killed in the line of duty, there is often silence on the part of the critics. The compensation package to their families for their loss is at best a sick joke.

It has been proven time and again that most of the crimes, especially armed robberies — some of which have resulted in the victims being murdered or injured — have been committed by very young men who have been led astray by so-called leaders, and even their own family members who have come to enjoy the booty from the daily robberies being committed on helpless and hapless victims throughout the land.

So if police ranks see young men acting suspiciously, they are within their mandate to ensure that these young men are not among the bands of predators preying on victims countrywide. And this is the consideration that precipitated two unfortunate incidents that brought the police under fire of recent times.

And while one should indeed criticize the unprofessional conduct of the ranks, which led to the recent unfortunate deaths of two young men in the prime of their lives, the context in which the police acted must also be taken into account.

Opportunistic politicians have egged on their supporters into a confrontational mode with the police force, because neither former CoP Henry Greene nor outgoing CoP Leroy Brumell was and is, respectively, prepared to compromise their professional integrity and heed “kith and kin” calls for the joint services to lead this country once more into destruction. And the inflammatory rhetoric of those so-called leaders has created untenable situations wherein the upholders of law and order were themselves several times subjected to assault by criminal elements in situations where they were unable to defend themselves against assault, i.e. in Linden and Agricola, recently.

It is untenable that this state of affairs continues, because it will eventually lead to anarchy in the land, which is the intention of the joint opposition, having stated ad nauseum -– jointly and collectively — their intention to destabilise and bring down the successive PPP/C administrations through, in AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes’s words, “mass demonstrations”. He himself has said they do not want peace.

Under the late former CoP, Laurie Lewis’s tenure, the Force had embarked on a countrywide campaign to persuade youths in the country into engaging in meaningful pursuits, and late CoP Henry Greene was a patron of the Scouts movement and of several sporting disciplines. The Rosemary Lane (Tiger Bay) initiative, begun under Laurie Lewis, is one shining example of how police and communities can work together to point youthful minds in productive directions.

The Agricola Initiative, which was initiated by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, is another such project; and young Shaquille Grant was a product of that initiative. He had a bright future ahead of him through serving in Guyana’s Disciplined Services. As the then Acting Commissioner of Police said, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, because eyewitnesses who are too afraid to come forward initially attested to the police coming under fire, which they returned; but their mistake was in using excessive force in arresting the young men involved in that unfortunate incident in which Shaquille tragically lost his life.

Outgoing Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell had told members of the GPF who had gathered to be rewarded for their performances at a GPF-organised shooting competition, “The job of the Guyana Police Force is to serve each and every (resident) of the country, and ensure that (each resident) is protected. The Police (Force), also, has the task (of) offering and ensuring that it provides lawful support to the Government of the day, again without favour and/or ill-will.”

In his remarks, Brumell alluded to the gap existing in relations between the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and members of the public, which he said must be bridged, and opined that the only possible way this can be achieved is when police officers approach issues they confront in a professional manner.

He told his ranks that they need to be strong, and show determination in confronting situations. He had promised then that, as Commissioner of Police and head of the Force, he would continue to be strong, emphasising that he would not be like other persons who had tendered their resignations and had buckled under pressure in the face of hardship.

He said the way persons deal with adversities determines their worth. He told officers that as long as he is strong, he wanted the rest of them to remain strong and resolute to fight situations that arise. Brumell kept that promise.

He commended police ranks for exercising great restraint and displaying true professionalism in the face of taunts and acts of provocation during the protest action at Agricola.

Brumell’s words had provided reassurance to the citizens of Guyana, who, traditionally, come under attack by criminals, unleashed by the intellectual authors of the intermittent rampages of their supporters against a hapless populace, continually held ransom to political opportunism.

It is necessary that a new Commissioner of Police provides similar assurances to this strife-torn nation.