-more on the way

A FLEET in excess of 30 brand new vehicles, inclusive of cars and open-back pickups procured from budget allocations in 2013, is parked on the tarmac at the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, awaiting official handing over.

Sourced through Four Brothers and Car Clean Enterprise, two separate dealers, the vehicles were to be handed over to the GPF last week, but would now be handed over later this month.

The Guyana Chronicle has been informed that these vehicles are just part of the GPF entitlement of vehicles, and more would be handed over to the GPF to bring its full complement to just below fifty.

Force Administration Officer, Assistant Police Commissioner, Balram Persaud, yesterday told the Chronicle that no definite decision has as yet been made concerning allocation of the vehicles to different divisions and departments of the GPF, because the individual needs of the respective divisions and departments have not as yet been studied. Moreover, the GPF usually sets up a team to look into the allocation of vehicles.

The GPF is expecting some additional vehicles beside those sitting on the tarmac, and Assistant Commissioner, Balram Persaud said those have been catered for in the 2014 budget, and are likely to be available to the Force later this year.

Assistant Commissioner, David Ramnarine, who is responsible for the Operations of the Force and has direct control of the resources such as vehicles, among other things, told this newspaper last Friday in the presence of the acting CoP Mr. Seelall Persaud that the remaining vehicles would arrive shortly.

It is no secret that the Guyana Police Force comes in for much criticism by residents and organisations in respect to the ever-present concern of a lack of adequate resources.

The issue of police mobility usually arises when the police are required to respond urgently to emergency situations such as crimes in progress and investigations that take them away from the stations.

The Traffic Department, the Commanders’ offices and those departments of the Force that are engaged in patrolling activities are usually among the departments which are usually recipients of vehicles whenever the force receives new ones.

In many cases, persons who call police stations requesting the presence of police ranks have been asked to find the means of getting the police to and from the scenes, since ranks often make the excuse of the unavailability of vehicles.

That practice was frowned upon by former Commissioners of Police Henry Green and Leroy Brumell. Just last week, a woman who was receiving a severe beating from her husband was unable to have the police come to her rescue after she was told by the ranks at the Leonora Police Station that they were unable to respond since they had no vehicle. After the beating, the woman made her way to the Police Station whilst her abuser managed to flee to the interior, where he works.

(By Leroy Smith)