-served with distinction for 36 years
THE GUYANA Police Force (GPF), yesterday, held a farewell parade at the Police Sports Club Ground in Eve Leary, Georgetown in honour of outgoing Police Commissioner Leroy Fitzpatrick Brumell.

In attendance were President Donald Ramotar, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips; Deputy Police Commissioner-Law Enforcement, Mr Seelall Persaud; and a large gathering of senior officers, among other VIP persons.

With family members present to lend him support, Commissioner Brumell, in a “bittersweet address at a bittersweet occasion,” spoke of his tenure in the GPF, and his experience for the past two and a half years since his appointment as Commissioner.

He said he spent 36 years and four months as a member of the GPF, served in various departments of the Force, and commanded several divisions in his time; and now the time has come for him to retire, even as he reminisced that his days in the Force had been both good and bad; that he had gained and lost friends; and that, among other things, he had come to realise that the honour and distinction of being an officer of the Guyana Police Force was fading.

He declared that being an officer of the GPF is no longer a position respected and trusted by society, because officers’ uniforms are not being worn with pride. Nevertheless, he urged ranks to take their oath seriously and regain the trust and cooperation of the Guyanese community.

Brumell was, however, pleased to talk about his achievements in the Force. He spoke of the successful completion of the First Phase (Basic) of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) squad, in which the team is trained to contain and suppress any event that threatens the citizenry of Guyana.

He encouraged the remaining serving members of the GPF to do their best in trying to regain the trust of the people, since they were sworn to serve and protect the people. He urged them to portray a sterling example to youths, so youths can follow their pattern.

He asked ranks not to intimidate law abiding citizens, but uphold law and order; because, he said, for far too long, the image of the Guyana Police Force has taken a beating.

He said as he was handing over the reins of leadership of the GPF to his successor, Mr Seelall Persaud, he would strongly urge all members of the Force to give Mr Persaud their fullest support; and he requested Mr Persaud to consider the needs of the members of the Force, and to do his utmost to satisfy those needs so the GPF can perform with distinction.

Brumell also asked the members of the Force to build good community relations and, by their simplicity and approachability, to be accessible to the public as he was as the leading member of the GPF.

He outlined the constant need for training, which he described as critical to the Force, since crime control and crisis management are needed to boost the capacity of the GPF, and moreso to avoid another Linden incident, which caused a lot of hurt, among other things.

Brumell said there should be refresher courses for ranks on a regular basis, so they can adequately deal with the ‘ordinary man’ in the street. He also noted the increase in violent domestic cases in the courts.

He stated that the new equipment acquired by the Force, such as the AFIS, has boosted its crime-fighting capability, and several serious crimes were now being solved. He thanked the Government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, for providing a training facility for the GPF.

He recommended that more ranks should be computer literate, so they can preserve the rich history of the GPF, and build on the very foundation of the Force.

Brumell told incoming Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud that his tenure will see him having sleepless nights and requests for back-to-back meetings, and that his decisions will not please everyone; but he should strive to be defined by the stand he takes.

He advised the new commissioner to act professionally and not to bring his office into disrepute, but to carry out his duties to the people of Guyana.

Brumell thanked everyone for the support they had given him during his tenure as Commissioner, and declared that now that he has retired, he was going to spend much needed time with his family.

He could not end his speech without thanking God for all that He had done for him, since God is the Author and Finisher of the faith Brumell had managed to uphold throughout his tenure in the Guyana Police Force, and was the One who had brought him safely to the end of that tenure.

He said he had enjoyed that tenure, even though it had been challenging; it had helped him to grow in experience. He said that now that his tenure at the helm of the GPF had come to an end, he was leaving the spotlight, to be replaced by a very competent Commissioner of Police in the person of Seelall Persaud, who takes up the post on March 31, 2014.

Senior members of the GPF yesterday told the media following the closing ceremony that it had been a great joy working with Commissioner Brumell, because his office was always open to them. They said he would be missed and that their experience gained in working with Commissioner Brumell had been worthwhile.

The ceremony got underway yesterday afternoon following arrival of the invitees, after which the general salute was taken, followed by the review of the parade by Brumell. There followed welcome remarks by Assistant Commissioner ‘Administration’ Balram Persaud, a song, dance, the beating of the retreat and other song, the Parade march past, and the Lowering of the GPF Flag.
By Michel Outridge