ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police and Commander of ‘D’ Division, Marlon Chapman, has stated that under his watch as the new divisional commander for the West Bank, West Coast and Essequibo Islands, the focus will be building on the foundations started by the previous commanders, especially the current Traffic Chief, Ian Amsterdam.During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, Commander Chapman explained that this is his first stint as a divisional commander, but assured this newspaper that he has been following the work in the division through the press.“My plans as the commander is of course to also first let the people know who is Marlon Chapman and by doing that I have to reach out to them, hear from them and what their concerns and needs are from a security perspective and work with them on achieving those objectives,” Chapman explained.
The commander said that within the next few days, he will be doing several walkabouts to the various “hotspots” including businesses and those which are regarded as troubled areas, where he and his administrative team will be meeting with the stakeholders. He said that the move will be in keeping with the motto of the force, “Service and Protection.”
Chapman said that one of the most important aspects of his commanding of the division will be police searches and raids, but was quick to point out that while those may inconvenience a few people, they will be for the good of most of the citizens; and moreover, those activities will be widely conducted on the basis of intelligence.
He pointed out that he has an open -door policy and that anyone could reach out to him at any time to share concerns, tips and ideas as those will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
Also of added focus for the division would be the proper preparation of case jackets for the courts, which according to Chapman would have to be properly prepared to secure a high conviction rate.
“Ensuring that investigations are properly done and matters are properly presented to the courts and ensure that the public has that level of satisfaction and minimise complaints for minor matters,” Chapman explained.
He also cautioned that ranks should have a high level of respect for members of the public and likewise members of the public should also have some amount of respect for the men and women in uniform, who are placing their lives on the line each day to ensure their safety and protection. He stressed that he would be working to foster a better relationship with members of the public and the police within the division.
In the area of general elections, the divisional commander explained that there are several aspects in ‘D’ Division which are being looked at to address the various issues during the pre and post –elections periods.
He pointed out that focus is being placed on prospective polling places and ranks have been informed of how they are expected to treat the manning of these sites and the Standard Operating Procedures to deal with almost any eventuality.
Finally, Chapman said that presently some of the buildings within the division which are traditionally used to accommodate ranks are under repairs, but there are alternatives in place to deal with the issues.