THE opening ceremony of the 25th Junior Officers Course organised by the Guyana Police Force on Friday saw participation from 26 men and women, representing the armed forces of Guyana.

Organised at the Police Training College at Eve Leary in Georgetown, the course brought together members of the Guyana Police and Defence forces, the Fire Service, City Constabulary and the Prison Service.

Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee delivered the feature address at the ceremony yesterday. Rohee commended the initiative, pointing directly to the inclusion of personnel from other agencies which make up the armed forces, pointing out that the move helps each agency to better understand and appreciate the roles of the others, which makes it easier to offer support when the need arises, and assist in determination of where assistance should, or could, be challenged.

Rohee made specific mention of the presence of Cadet Officers as part of the course. There are eleven cadet officers taking the course; and Rohee said the Ministry of Home Affairs would continue to support any form of training and developmental initiative of the Guyana Police Force, since it lends to the sustainability of the organisation.

Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud said that the training course is very necessary, since it addresses the Force’s very critical need for middle managers who are tasked with being that bridge between the very senior officers and the junior ranks.

He called on the Force’s Training Officer to work expeditiously to have the training course accredited by the University of Guyana; and added that it signalled the continued partnership between the Guyana Police Force and the University of Guyana.

The Top Cop placed police on notice that the need for training is always important, since ranks need to be educated about the new trends and methods of crime which are being employed by criminal minds, and they need to be “up to speed” with that development.

For lawmen and women to be equipped with the understanding and tools to track and be able to know what are the methods used and abused by felons, they must have their ears on the ground, and be familiar with changes, Mr. Persaud added.

He pointed to numerous developments taking place within the Guyana Police Force as part of its modernisation, and mentioned the direct results of the Crime Intelligence System recently employed by the Force.

The Police Commissioner, in speaking of the ‘keeping up to speed’ with the changes in technology, declared that, already, the Force is moving away from the practice of keeping hard copies in its communication link to a more rapid and frequent use of email to pass on information and communicate with stakeholders.
Mr. Persaud said that several of the officers participating in the training will be heading to various parts of the country, where they would be tasked with overseeing roll-out of the Guyana Police Force Impact projects.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Balram Persaud, told the gathering of senior, junior and trainee ranks that training is always important for any organisation, and he pointed out that it is always fitting to have continuous training in order to be relevant to current situations.

Mr. Persaud said the training as part of this course should be taken very seriously since it brings participants to the point of becoming middle managers. He added the course has always been effective in causing beneficiary ranks to enhance their dealing with younger and more junior ranks of the Force.

Mr. Persaud cautioned participants of the course to understand they are part of a programme that would cause junior ranks and other ranks at stations working under them to look to them for guidance and leadership; and he said that retaining and practicing what they have been taught at the level of the course must be passed on as part of knowledge sharing.

Giving a brief overview of the course, Force Training Officer, Paul Williams said it has always been a core course for the Guyana Police Force, and many serving and retired senior ranks had the privilege of taking it.

Training will last for twelve weeks, and would be done in two modules facilitated by the University of Guyana and several stakeholders, including past and present senior officers of the Force. The programme is in collaboration with the University of Guyana.

Among the issues the course focuses on are effective policing, police/public partnership, human rights and the media, and other issues which affect and influence policing, Williams added.

The training course is being held under the theme “Training with the focus of maximising visions, skills and art for enhancing leadership for a modern Guyana Police Force.”
Written By Leroy Smith