by Francis Quamina Farrier
ON Saturday July 1, 2017, hundreds turned up at the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Headquarters, Tactical Services Unit Drill Square, Eve Leary, for the annual Drum Head Church Service for the 178th Anniversary observances. Present were Senior Officers both serving and retired, Officers from other arms of the Disciplined Services as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps.

This year, the Guyana Police Force celebrates 178 years of Service and Protection, to the People of Guyana, and while there has been some encouraging news recently, especially in cases where ranks have reportedly refused to accept bribes, there is still much more work to be done to make it a Force respected by all the Guyanese people.
During the past year, there have been more reports of some delinquent ranks; some of them have been charged for a range of law-breaking activities and placed before the courts. Some have also been dismissed from the Force. It is with that in mind, that there should have been a public recognition of those ranks who have refused bribes. The good should be spoken of. The good should be recognised.

There were three elements which caught my attention during that Service- which I have attended many times over the decades. First, I have to say that the welcome message by Assistant Commissioner, David Ramnarine, was noteworthy. He stressed the need for the GPF to look more to God for guidance. Observing those who were close to where I was standing, I realised that Ramnarine’s message was well received. Second, the colour ranks were all women; a function which over the decades, was done only by male ranks. And third, the Police Bands – both traditional and steel – and the Police Choir were all of a high standard.

On leaving the Service, I went the short distance east from Police Headquarters, to the Marian Academy on Carifesta Avenue, where another David, in the person of His Excellency David Granger, addressed the annual Catholic Men’s Conference. He was invited by the organisers and spoke of this firm Anglican faith and the need for God in the lives of Guyanese. It was the first time that a sitting president was invited to address that gathering of Catholic men.

In his testimonial, President Granger spoke of being the youngest of eight siblings and the child of a father who was a policeman and a mother who was a teacher. They resided first at Bartica on the Essequibo River and later at Whim on the Corentyne Coast. Sharing ‘his-story’, the president related how he attended a number of denominational schools in Georgetown, including the Sacred Heart Catholic School on Main Street. He also related how he was surprised to see the many statues in the Sacred Heart Church. Continuing, the President spoke of attending Queen’s College, the University of Guyana, and later of his career as an Officer in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

The President informed the gathering that he was denied a teaching position at the University of Guyana, while he was subsequently accepted at the prestigious Howard University in Washington DC, USA. In giving his testimonial at the Catholic Men’s Conference, he came across more like Professor David Granger, than President David Granger.
One of the elements of the one-day Catholic Men’s Conference, is breaking up into groups and discussing a pre-planned issue or topic. This year the topic was: “What is the Path for us to get to the Kingdom of God””, which was submitted by ‘Professor’ David Granger. He had requested that the findings be forwarded to him.Whatever the outcome, those Catholic men who worked on that document, will be aware that their opinions and suggestions are now known by the Head-of-State, President David Granger, and that, hopefully, it will be a blueprint to make a positive difference in our beautiful Guyana. The appeal by Assistant Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine, that God should play a greater role in that Law-Enforcement organisation, is also something of hope.

As the son of a policeman, and a man of faith, President David Granger, who, in his testimonial to the Catholic Men, spoke of releasing some women from prison to go home and be with their children, may yet express his delight regarding those current police ranks who have refused bribes, and by doing so, encourage law-abiding citizens to be more sources of intelligence to the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Intelligence garnered by the Police, solves many crimes – and sometimes very quickly. So with David and David appealing to God, Guyana will most likely be further along the high road to less crime and more of a God-filled, Good Life.