FORMER Deputy Commander of ‘A’ Division, Senior Superintendent Ian Amsterdam was returned to that position and relieved of his Traffic Office duties on Wednesday when he returned to work after being on annual leave. Amsterdam, who became the Traffic Chief just after the May 11 general and regional elections, had previously served as the Divisional Commander of ‘D’ Division.
The Guyana Chronicle yesterday learnt that the decision to remove Amsterdam was to allow for his temporary replacement, Superintendent Dion Moore, to hold the post substantively.
Moore had previously served as the Deputy Commander of ‘A’ Division but has a lot of experience in the area of traffic, according to police sources.
A senior police source yesterday, who asked not be named, told the Chronicle that the movement of Amsterdam was nothing unusual as it fits into the normal operational procedures of the Guyana Police Force.
According to the senior officer, persons are placed where they are better suited and most effective. It was also added that officers of the Guyana Police Force must be rotated so that other officers can have the opportunity of gaining experience.
Contacted yesterday for a comment on the issue, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan told this publication that he was not aware that Amsterdam was removed as the substantive Traffic Chief.
However, Ramjattan was quick to point out that he has all confidence in the work and decision-making of the Commissioner of Police.

According to the minister, he will not ‘second guess’ or overlap the operational mandate of the Commissioner of Police since he acts according to what he sees as fitting. He added that the Commissioner of Police deals with operational issues while he, as minister, deals with policies.

Ramjattan explained that the only way the Public Security Minister may consider looking into a decision made by the Commissioner of Police is if it is exceptionally poor and has the potential to affect policies.

“Seelall Persaud is a very, very good and bright Commissioner of Police and I am very impressed with his work, he is an extremely competent fellow and has earned his pips,” Minister Ramjattan told this publication.

Meanwhile, there seems to be some discomfort among operatives in the Police Force who are of the view that Amsterdam’s return to ‘A’ Division as the number two man is disrespectful and demoralising as it is regarded as a demotion. After Amsterdam was posted to ‘D’ Division as commander last year, he formulated the C-Pets Project which represents that division’s social crime prevention programme, something that the Commissioner had tasked commanders to do in the various divisions.
Contacted yesterday for a comment, Amsterdam would only say that the Guyana Police Force is the organisation for which he works and he has no intention of resisting any posting or directives which are sanctioned by his seniors.
He noted that wherever he is posted, he will perform to the best of his ability and work according to the oath of office he took, which is to serve and protect. He added that he plans to work fully with Divisional Commander Clifton Hicken as it would be in the best interest of the force, the nation and the fight against crime.
Divisional Commander Hicken, on the other hand, when asked if he was aware that he was having a new deputy commander responded in the negative. However like Amsterdam, Hicken believes that the administration of a police division should not be measured on the basis of the personalities but rather the effectiveness of the persons placed to support the commander. He stressed that Amsterdam is no stranger to ‘A’ Division and while he was not aware of any issues being raised, he thinks that Amsterdam will be a great asset to the division as he has been in all areas of the force and he is confident that the support will be there.

By Leroy Smith