…new crime chief says upbringing prepared him for role
…but concerned about info leak during investigations

COMPROMISED investigations due to premature leaking of information is just one of the challenges new crime chief Paul Williams has to grapple with, but he says he is sufficiently prepared for the job and is ready to employ all the skills he has acquired over the years to turn around the force’s criminal investigation arm.

Williams is now settling into his new role, having been pulled from ‘B’ Division late last year where he was serving as commander to take over from Wendell Blanhum. Blanhum’s career at the Criminal Investigation Department had come under scrutiny owing to his role in the investigation of the alleged plot to assassinate the President. He has since been shifted to ‘A’ Division as the second-in-command.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Williams related that even before he was accepted into the Guyana Police Force (GPF) approximately 30 years ago, as a youngster he always felt drawn to a life of service for his country.
Today, Williams looks back at his journey which began in 1987 when he was enlisted within the Traffic Department at the Brickdam office; a long way from his current position as crime chief.

Born in 1969 at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Williams describes his childhood experience as a “poor and humble upbringing” within a devoted Christian home. His mother, like many other Guyanese can relate to, was a “staunch Christian” and as such, he grew up in the church where he developed a relationship with and a respect for God.

The crime chief told the Guyana Chronicle that his upbringing and religious mindset is what led him to develop a positive outlook on life and the many challenges that come along.
“With that type of thinking, I know that, definitely, everything takes time,” Williams said, “That [upbringing] would have made me committed and understand that nothing is impossible, all you have to do is dedicate yourself and stay focused.”

Staying focused
Staying focused is indeed on the top of the chief’s agenda as he is presently reading for a Masters in Criminal Justice and Executive Leadership, while in 2006 he expended similar efforts to complete his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Guyana. Throughout the years he also attained a Diploma in Public Management, a post-graduate certificate in Legislative Drafting and Certificate in Industrial Relations and Social Studies between 1992 and 2008, at both local and international institutions.

However, before he was hitting the books, he was hitting the tracks. During his high school years, Williams became well-known for his active performance as a national athlete, competing at the secondary school level and, perhaps, it was the period when his outgoing personality was cemented.

When Williams left school, a large portion of him looked forward to joining the GPF. However, his age presented a problem,“Because of my age at that time I could not have come on board immediately after school, so I went to the Guyana Post Office Corporation and I worked there for six months, allowing myself to mature…” Williams explained.

“When those six months were attained, I left the post office work and I wrote my exams in the Guyana Police Force in January 1987 and I was successful.” In February of that year, Williams joined the GPF as an apprentice. He was eventually sent to the Guyana National Service — Joint Services Recruits Orientation Course (JSROC) — to be trained and subsequently sworn in as a policeman on October 7.

Determination through Difficulty
As the years went by, Williams moved up the ladder serving in Divisions ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘G’ in various roles such as the acting force training officer, deputy commander, commander and in 2017 as assistant commissioner law enforcement.

Throughout his progressions, the crime chief notes that it took a strong sense of determination and commitment for him to remain focused and on track. “My movement from a constable to assistant commissioner of the Guyana Police Force, it wasn’t easy, it was very challenging,” Williams told the newspaper, adding: “I met very wonderful and very supportive supervisors but on the other side, I met some who were very tough, very inconsiderate at times, who made certain decisions that really impacted my life.”

These circumstances nonetheless did not daunt Williams. Instead, he says, he decided to use them as building blocks to improve himself. “It never made me want to quit. It started to drive my interest much more and more to realise that definitely, I am to be committed.
“I think that is one of the things that helped me to become a very outstanding officer. Because after I realised that so many persons were there giving me a hard time and tough time, I realised that definitely I have to do everything right, I have to be circumspect,” Williams recounted.

Servant-Leader
In striving to be vigilant, the crime chief describes the leadership style he developed as participative and one which looks out for the well-being of his team. “I have an open-door policy for both members of the public and my staff. Whatever problem is there we deal with it as a team from a team perspective,” Williams told the Guyana Chronicle.
He added that as long as the individual possesses the necessary experience and knowledge to make a valuable input, “I bring them from around the country, we sit, we deliberate and we discuss.”

“I am a servant-leader, I reach out to all my staff from the lower rank to the higher rank; in everything during my engagement with them, my utmost concern is about how they feel, if they’re comfortable and if they’re alright. “And I know once they’re within that same good stead and positive thinking, I’m going to get a lot out of them.”

Police-Community Relationship
Like any other organisation however, Williams faces challenges. Performance levels, insufficient resources and compromised investigations due to prematurely leaked information are just some of the complications.

In addition to these, the relations the GPF shares with the public is one which the crime chief hopes will improve to a standard of “second to none.” Williams says that when it comes to this relationship, oftentimes it feels as if the force takes one step forward and two backwards, when ‘bad apples’ cause the public to have a negative view of the entire police force.

“I want to tell the public that despite they may be seeing certain negative or bad things about the police, it’s not good for them to lose that confidence,” Williams said, adding: “There are many more good people than the bad ones that they’re seeing out there.”
The chief told of his love of interacting with community members and his personal interest in seeing the two parties forging a better and positive relationship. “Their support is what is critical to the success of the Guyana Police Force. This force is to serve the nation and as a result of that, the people out there can make this force what they want it be.”

Williams further encouraged the public to stand firmly and be willing to report and point out members of the police force whom they observe are not doing the right things. “There are persons who come to join the force, their backgrounds clean, there’s nothing known about them criminal in their record, but then you out there, you know something about them. Say what you know. Even if they’re already in uniform, you say what you know about them,” the chief encouraged.

Throughout his life, Williams has travelled across the world to participate in various forums, conferences and training courses, on matters of explosives and conflict resolution to interviewing and investigation skills.

For 24 years, Williams has been married and is the father of four. He considers himself to be an optimistic individual who wants to leave behind a favourable legacy and as such, he imparts these words of advice:“Be humble, patient, show respect to your superiors and persons placed in authority over you, because, at the end of the day, sometime you’ll be looking to meet to the top,” he counselled, adding: “Those lessons help me to understand people and what it is to strive to be a better officer.”