…once demoted, charged for discharging firearm

FORMER head of the SWAT Unit, Deputy Superintendent Motie Dookie appeared to have been tracing luck for most of his career as a policeman. He was fingered in several incidents which under normal circumstances would have resulted in his dismissal from the Guyana Police Force.

While serving the organisation as a police sergeant, Motie Dookie wrote to then Commissioner of Police, the late Henry Greene, requesting to go on the Cadet Course. It was during this period that former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, had directed that the force be staffed with a certain number of cadet officers.

The persons who were identified in most cases to go on the course were constables, subordinate officers, sergeants and inspectors. Dookie was successful in his application and as part of the process, was required to submit several pieces of documentation to substantiate his claim of academic achievements. Upon completion of his cadet course, Dookie returned to the Guyana Police Force and it was while he was serving in his capacity as the “CO” that the force got wind that he allegedly lied about his qualifications regarding the certificates he submitted to the force to be considered for the training; they allegedly were all false.

As a consequence the matter was investigated and he was demoted from his rank as a Cadet Officer and reverted to that of a sergeant. The controversy for Dookie did not end there. As a sergeant he was sent to the Timehri Police Station as the station sergeant. However, under mysterious circumstances, Dookie’s weapon “accidently” went off and a round hit another police in his chest. Sources indicated that Dookie and the rank might have had a misunderstanding, but Dookie told detectives that he was cleaning the weapon and the round went off. Persons within the organisation questioned the logic behind cleaning a weapon with rounds still in the breach or barrel with its magazine attached.
For that Dookie was charged and placed before the courts but before the matter could have been properly tried by the court, the policeman accepted a settlement from the relatives of Dookie and that prompted him–the injured rank–to indicate to the court that he no longer wished to offer any evidence against Dookie.

That move saw the court throwing the matter out and Dookie was spared of a criminal conviction or being dismissed or disciplined by the Guyana Police Force. The incident, however, resulted in his weapon being seized and after repeated failed efforts to have same back after the matter was discharged, Dookie through political connections, reportedly sought the intervention of then President Donald Ramotar to have the weapon returned to him.

After that incident, Dookie continued to serve the force and began moving up through the ranks and finally attained the rank of Deputy Superintendent. He was placed as the second in command of the SWAT Unit and then moved up to head the unit after the former head of the unit found himself in an embarrassing situation in which his vehicle was hijacked and several items, including a GPF issued firearm were stolen. If the law is allowed to take its course in this instance, the Deputy Superintendent could find himself answering a criminal charge as early as next week and also face the risk of being fired from the Guyana Police Force. The latter course would, however, have to be recommended by the Police Commissioner to the Service Commission, the constitutional body which is tasked with disciplining senior members of the force and a body which at this point is not constituted as its term has expired.