Bond admits to supporting corruption within Police Force
– reportedly encourages Police Ranks to break the law

OLD Kai knows that corruption or encouraging corruption has many forms. Therefore the recent announcement by APNU Member of Parliament and attorney-at-law, James Bond that he routinely makes sure that he ‘top up a Police Officer’ whenever they ask him, has very serious implications.

Such an action by the APNU MP will only serve to encourage and embolden police ranks to stop more and more drivers on our roadways and ask for a ‘top-up’. While Mr. Bond is a ‘big-bai in Parliament’, what will be the fate of the average citizen who does not have a ‘top-up’ or refuse to condone such behaviour? By giving in to their request, the APNU MP is tacitly supporting such behaviour which is a form of corruption as it is against the Police Force Standing Orders.

The APNU MP publicly admits to participating in an act of corruption when Chapter 17:01 of the Police (Discipline) Act is taken into consideration. While part III deals with the right of police ranks to appeal disciplinary action taken against them, it highlights specifically what are the offenses a rank can be interdicted for:

(k) is guilty of any corrupt practice, that is to say –

(i) receives any bribe;

(ii) fails to account for, or to make a prompt and true return of, any money or property received by him in his official capacity;

(iii) directly or indirectly solicits or receives any gratuity, present, subscription or testimonial without the consent of the Commissioner.

Gratuity or a tip in this sense refers to a sum of money tendered by one party to another.

The APNU member, Mr. Bond is an Attorney-At-Law by profession, not to mention he is a member of the legislature and helps to craft the laws of our country, so obviously he will be familiar, specifically with the laws that govern the Guyana Police Force.

When this is taken into consideration, one can only surmise that he knowingly colluded with these police ranks to commit an offense by acceding to their request for a ‘top up’ while they were performing their duties in an official capacity.

Strange enough that James Bond made this glaring revelation, just two days after he called for a special court to be established to handle police misconduct at an APNU Press Conference.

So on one hand he is encouraging police misconduct and on the other, he is calling for it to be stamped out and laying the blame on the PPP/C Government.

We are informed that Mr. Bond tried to justify his unlawful actions by indicating that these ranks are underpaid, this statement also has serious implications for the integrity of the Opposition as Old Kai hopes this is not an official position. The reason being is that Mr. Bond has, in the past, decried the salary he receives as a Parliamentarian on the social media. So if he is not satisfied with his salary is he saying he will not think twice in asking or taking a ‘top-up’ from someone?

If these police ranks are not satisfied with their salaries and based on the media reports, he made no indication that these ranks told him so, but if indeed this was the case, then these ranks need to leave the Force and go find a job that will provide the remuneration they expect.

That said, just like any organisation, police ranks are paid based on their rank; as they move up so does their salary scale. I would love to see all our public servants receive the type of salaries that they want but that must be contrasted with reality.

Records will show that their salaries have increased progressively as well as their other benefits; conditions in which they work have likewise improved. But I do not have my head in the sand and will not pretend that everything is hunky-dory in the Force, just like any organisation there must and will be challenges.

Police ranks whose duty it is to protect and serve our civilian population will have to be the solution to their problems. They will have to lead by example, be the change they want. We cannot let a few bad apples continue to spoil the image of the GPF. There are many good, decent, honest and professional ranks I have come across in the Police Force over many years, they take home the same salaries, have never found the need to beg for a ‘top-up’ and have been successful in life, including acquiring assets.

These people do not live beyond their means and if you understand anything about basic economics, you will know how dangerous such a trend can be.

So this nonsense that the APNU Member of Parliament is trying to promulgate, that because a few police ranks have an issue with their salaries, it is ok for them to stop and harass citizens for ‘money’ will not fly. If those ranks stop a random citizen or someone they are familiar with and he does not give them a ‘top-up’; what will prevent them from retribution either by finding some means to harass that driver to stopping him in the future? What will stop them from now openly demanding money from drivers as the ‘Opposition’ Member of Parliament says it is ok?

What if this individual or one of this friends or colleagues from the Opposition is stopped by the Police for committing a traffic or criminal offence and the rank is someone he has being ‘topping-up’? What if he is defending someone in a criminal case and the police rank giving testimony against the accused is one of this ‘top-up’ buddies?

These are all scenarios which could or possible have already resulted from this irresponsible action and which was followed up with a public statement of support from Mr. Bond.

Old Kai is hoping that good sense will prevail and he, in hindsight offers a public apology for his conduct and will not condone such behaviour in the future. We are all concerned about acts of corruption by some police ranks and we all want a constantly improving Police Service, but the reality is that while ranks are receiving, someone has to be giving. So we cannot cry and beat our chests about the problem and then go out there and encourage it. Corruption will only be controlled when you stop giving the police money and pay your traffic ticket for the offense you are guilty of or if you have been wrongly charged, make the effort and argue your case in court. Old Kai has done it before and I have been vindicated. If more and more Guyanese do this, there will be less and less instances of corruption. Then we would have all made a positive change in our society.

In the meantime, the position of encouraging corruption within the Guyana Police Force by the political Opposition seems to be an ingrained policy as only recently, Opposition Leader, David Granger attacked President Donald Ramotar and the PPP/C Government for suggesting that integrity tests could be expanded and include the Guyana Police Force in the future.

Granger’s pathetic excuse was that ‘you are bound to get people who are good at test and bad at performance’.