–ahead of farewell parade today in his honour
MR GEORGE Alexander Vyphuis, Assistant Commissioner of Police, will today officially proceed into retirement after giving 35 years of service to the Guyana Police Force (GPF).Vyphuis, who served in several capacities during his tenure at the GPF, and worked in several of its divisions, said it had been his hope to retire at the level of Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Among the areas in which Mr Vyphuis had served during his tenure as a cop are: The Commissioner’s Office, Bartica, Essequibo, Kitty, East La Penitence and Ruimveldt stations; Berbice and the Welfare Department located at Force headquarters.

Mr Vyphuis lost his first wife while serving in Bartica.

Speaking with reporters at his office yesterday, ahead of his farewell parade today, Mr Vyphuis said he had hoped to achieve many things in the Force, and had known where he had wanted to be. He said that while the power to appoint and disappoint lies with the Almighty, he is happy to be leaving the GPF at the rank at which he is retiring, and is confident that he had been able to serve the Guyana Police Force with distinction.

While he has been the sitting ‘A’ Division Commander, Vyphuis is leaving the Force as the substantive Assistant Police Commissioner in charge of Operations. Recently retired Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell had asked Vyphuis to ‘hold the fort’ at ‘A’ Division when that division’s substantive commander, ACP Derrick Josiah, had become involved in an accident which later claimed his life.

The outgoing ACP Vyphuis said his first real big opportunity to lead in the Force had been granted to him by then ‘A’ Division Commander, the late Police Commissioner Henry Green, who had placed him in charge of the number one sub-division within the ‘A’ Division.

Vyphuis, who spoke about the successes he achieved in wooing public support and working with children, said he enjoyed working with the youth of Guyana because he has a passion for young people, and that is what had earned him the respect he had enjoyed while serving in the Essequibo.

He said his two most challenging but accomplished periods working in the Guyana Police Force occurred while he had headed the Immigration Department and, more recently, when he had sat as the “A” Division Commander during the National Election of 2011.

He recalled that during his stint at the Central Immigration Office, there were lots of things that needed to be fixed, and those things were fixed whilst he had been sitting as ‘A’ Division Commander. He said that during the National Election of 2011, all ballot boxes were accounted for, and the police were still able to keep the cap on the crime and traffic situation.

Mr Vyphuis said that although he would be travelling and going places after his retirement, he would never forget his relationship and involvement with the Immigration Department of the Guyana Police Force. He described the Immigration Department as a life story for him.

With Vyphuis exiting the ‘A’ Division commander’s chair, that division would temporarily be headed by Senior Superintendent Eon Amsterdam, who has been serving the force for the past 31 years.

Widely regarded as an institutional memory of the Guyana Police Force, Mr Amsterdam began lecturing at the Police Training College while he was still a constable. He has also worked at the TSU, Immigration, Criminal Investigation Department and other critical departments of the Force.

Mr Vyphuis expressed his confidence in Mr Amsterdam’s ability to hold the ‘A’ Division together until the Acting Police Commissioner is ready to appoint a commander for that division. He said Mr Amsterdam has proven his worth on numerous occasions, and has a good understanding of the job.

Having given his country 35 years of sterling service through the Guyana Police Force, Mr George Alexander Vyphuis now plans to give his family the time and attention they deserve from him. He said his family would have sacrificed so many things to allow him to serve the Guyanese people, and, “It’s only fitting that I give back to my family now.”

“I know I touched many lives as a police officer,” he confidently stated, while calling on present officers to show respect for the job and the citizens of the country, who pay hard-earned taxes to ensure that police officers receive a salary at the end of the month.
By Leroy Smith