Dear Editor,

I MUST commend and congratulate Police Commissioner (ag) David Ramnarine on his latest move to bring uniformity and discipline to the Traffic and Anti-Crime Ranks with his assertive statements at the recent meeting hosted at the Officers’ Mess Annexe, Eve Leary, Georgetown.First and foremost, this new style he is bringing to the job is needed in an era when indiscipline is leading to crime and corruption in all systems of administration, governance, and public trust of institutions. The stern statements made by the acting commissioner must be enforced by consequences, and he readily stated, and reminded the ranks that interface with the public daily, about cause and effect.

I can assure the Guyana Police Force (GPF) that the public is looking forward to working with the Force, as many communities are banding together to assist in crime prevention. However, as the commissioner noted, and it is the reality, many junior ranks bring the GPF into disrepute, resulting in the lack of public trust, which the Force is trying very hard to achieve. If the head cannot have a good command of the legs, then the body cannot move forward.

I can personally testify that my interaction with senior officers and commanders has enlightened me on how much passion and love they have for their respective duties and jobs, as they try their best to rebuild relationships with the communities and forge ahead with crime prevention plans that would benefit Guyana. It must be noted that if a rank is not patriotic about wearing the state’s uniform “to serve and protect”, then that rank must not be allowed to evolve into a monster that behaves like the master and treats civilians as its subjects.

The police must not forget their oath, and must realize they are the servants of society. No rank should ever take this for granted, because the tables can quickly turn, in the blink of an eye.
There are a large number of ways law enforcement officers actively give back to their communities. The most successful programmes involve the interaction of police with members of the communities. In most cases, that face-to-face interaction is vital to the success of the programme. Some of these interactions can include: Community and school presentations, scholarships, police/youth interaction and homeless outreach programmes.

Mr. Ramnarine, kindly continue the great job you’re doing to assist Guyanese in building that much-needed bridge between the Force and various communities, in order to increase public trust. One sour point to note, however, is that some of the ranks stationed at Timehri are still hassling drivers, since I was in the vicinity on Monday, September9, 2016 and patiently observed if they had acknowledged your warning. Commissioner, apparently some haven’t heeded the directive.

Regards,
HALEEM KHAN