– with retired police sergeant Heron Anderson

HIS father, Sergeant of Police James Anderson, died during the famed ‘Lethem Uprising’ in 1969, but that did not prevent him from following in the old man’s footsteps.

Today, some 49 years on, Heron Lensford Anderson is himself retiring from the Guyana Police Force after 32 years of yeoman service and a wealth of experience. And, just like his daddy, he too reached the pinnacle of his profession, attaining the rank of sergeant.
Reflecting upon his upbringing, Anderson said he was not fortunate to have known the love of his father as he’d died when he was just five.

And while his mother was around, he didn’t spend much time with her either, as, being a nurse, she was stationed at the Mahaicony Hospital. Instead, he had for company his grandmother, who lived in suburban West Ruimveldt.

A product of first St Mary’s Primary then the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, Anderson would later move on to the Government Technical Institute (GTI) where he learnt to be a fitter machinist, before landing a job as a supervisor in the fitting machine department of the now defunct Ideal Group of Companies.

As he recalled, “If they did not close down, I would not have taken the opportunity to serve my country as a policeman.”

Just 23 at the time, Anderson said he was already expecting his first child. “My first son was on his way; he is now a civil engineer. My other son works at Parliament; and my daughter is a senior nurse. My youngest daughter attends Green Acres, and she is an excellent student,” the proud father of four said.
Not knowing what it was to have a father, Anderson said he made sure that his children knew the benefits of having one in their lives. “I wanted to ensure they got the highest level of education the country has to offer,” he said.

TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE

The policeman in him talking, Anderson said there are two types of people in this life: those who can keep their focus with limited external motivating factors, and those who have to be constantly monitored in order for them to achieve their maximum potential.
Recalling an age-old adage that the noise in the market is not necessarily a reflection of the sales, Anderson said:

“The easier you stay and you watch at the people who are making noise, the better you will realise all those who are empty.”

Using this analogy as a guide during his Police Training College days, Anderson said that out of a batch of 30, he instantly knew who would make it through the course; who will not make the final cut; and who would need constant attention in order to succeed.
“On many occasions, the Guyana Police Force can save itself embarrassment if the training instructor’s recommendation to let certain ranks go from the inception are followed,” he said, adding:

“People say I am an ‘Obeah Man,’ because if I identify someone as not being able to handle the job, they eventually fall out in the long-run.
“Even if they make it out of the college, they just go out there and give themselves and other people trouble and problems.”
He recommends that the GPF create a body where instructors can have representatives make recommendations that can be taken seriously, especially if it can save the image of the force by ejecting the bad apples.

Said he: “We are seeing them every day! Why wait until they give problems, when instructors know exactly their potential or lack thereof!
“We have a lot of persons with good intentions that want to join the police force! Why are we keeping the ones we are seeing won’t make it!”
Anderson said it’s counterproductive to educate someone with weapons training, rules and regulations and physical fitness, knowing that there is a high chance he may become a villain if given the opportunity.
“It’s like producing a menace to society when we send them out there,” he said. “I am a frank-speaking kind of guy, and I have rubbed shoulders and mashed feet because of my style.”

Known in training college circles as “The Hawk”, Anderson said many times when he recommends a dismissal or identifies rogue elements, senior operatives in the force would see it as ‘taking bread out of people’s mouths’.
“But that is not the case,” he swears, “when the bigger picture is protecting society.”

EARLY BEGINNINGS
Heron Lensford Anderson joined the Guyana Police Force on August 8, 1986, topping his course at training school as the best graduating student of Course 153. In March 1987, he was posted to Traffic Headquarters, Brickdam, where he would spend the next 23 years.
Now 54, Anderson told the Guyana Chronicle that he will officially call it a day on October 1.
Looking back over the years, Anderson recalled that it was one Sergeant Refer Johnson, who retired as a senior superintendent, who was instrumental in teaching him how to write statements, conduct interviews and file reports.
His first promotion was on January 1, 1992 to the rank of full corporal, having skipped the rank of lance corporal. Promoted to sergeant in 2004, he would eventually move on to the Police Training College in 2009, fall sick, but return to the job in 2014.
As a facilitator and trainer at the police college, he said the experience is similar to being the father in a home.

“You have to let persons understand their roles; their purpose and a constant motivator,” he said. “If we can’t change the way people think, we can’t change the way they act.
“Basically, I try to change the way the young generation think, when it comes to civilian life and police life. And if this is done successfully, half of the work is done there, because the rest is just understanding rules and regulations.”

And even though he’s about to retire, Anderson said he’ll always be willing to lend his expertise and experience to the police force.

Forever the teacher and mentor, Anderson said too: “I will be one of the persons that will always be looking out for the persons that pass through my hands to ensure that they are always on the right path.
“As I said, it’s like being a father; and a father always has a role to play.”

STRANGE OCCURRENCE
But one of the strangest things that ever happened to him, he recalled, was while stationed as a traffic rank at the Madewini Police Station on the upper East Bank in 1994.
He’d received word of a serious accident involving two cyclists on the Soesdyke Public Road.
“Now imagine both guys on bicycle died; one was proceeding without light on the public road of itself, perhaps going at a fast rate of speed, and one coming out of the sand road at a fast rate, and swinging into the other’s path, causing a collision between the cyclists that resulted in death. One died on the spot, the other died at the hospital,” he said.
Puzzled by the deaths, Anderson said he spent days trying to figure out what could have really happened, but never found the answer. To this day, it’s still a mystery.
Another memorable event while serving in the traffic department was during CARIFESTA X in 2008, when he was riding a 750cc motorcycle and worked tirelessly without rest. “I think I work until I nearly died; the volume of people and traffic and the long hours were exhausting with no sleep. And there was no thanks, although you are trying your best.”
Which brings him to the point that during his entire career, sleep was something he did very little of, as he found out that a person would have slept one-third of their lives if they rested eight hours a day.
“When you get demotivated, you get tired,” Anderson said. “When you understand what it takes to be part of the system, to be respected, and when there is conflict; and there will always be these cases, only then will you feel tired to wake up for work. Everything is mental and the body simply follows.”
Time management, to him, is of the utmost importance.
“I could reach home 15:30hrs and take a shower and go sleep; by 21:00hrs, I either hit the road or start marking papers, or doing assignments on my verandah under a bright light,” he said. “But I am always occupied. And if I go to sleep at 2:00AM, the next morning I’m up again at 5:30AM to head out to work.
“Rest can be taken at intervals, especially when you are always occupied; sleep is not necessary, unless you’re absolutely tired.
“I manage my time so much that I know my day consists of 86,400 seconds. When we really realise how valuable a second is, when we are pressed for time and how time lapses… A lot of people say time is money, but they rarely understand the true concept.”

SELF-DEVELOPMENT
He said his time in the force not only afforded him the opportunity to meet persons of all walks of life, but also helped with his own self-development.
“The force offers many the ability to further educate themselves to the highest level while working,” he said, adding:
“Training in the force itself has improved; there is nothing to lose when you join this work and become a member of the police force; you can only amplify and develop yourself. It’s a constant job that gives you security of tenure until retirement.”
His advice to new recruits who join the police force is to understand that whatever they put into their job is exactly what they will reap.
“Don’t join the organisation and be one of the weak ones or one of the persons that don’t adhere to the rules and principles. If you can’t change the way you think, you can’t change the way you act,” he said. “Another quality is using your initiative and understanding that you should always be able to work under minimal supervision.”
He said it is devastating to train someone for several months on the right ways of policing, and then years down the line they are placed before the court for breaking the law.
During his tenure in the GPF, Anderson said he participated in many developmental courses.
He said the GPF is a job where you can join with limited qualifications and go on to excel in educational achievements.
And although he did not achieve as much as he would have wanted academically, he fathered a family and built a home.

MOST MEMORABLE
One of his most memorable times in the force, he said, was back in January 1992, when he was promoted to full corporal . “It was like a good feeling, because I saw persons were promoted to lance corporal and I was promoted to full corporal.”
Another memorable moment was when he captained the ‘A’ Division first-aid team with only three weeks to prepare.
“We actually won that year, so when I was shaking Commissioner Floyd McDonald’s hand and collecting the trophy in 1993, it was a good feeling, because I got into something I had no idea about, and I taught myself and team. And we came out successful,” he reflected.
Asked what could have caused him not to be promoted further up in line over the years, Anderson acknowledged that he contributed to some of his own downfalls.
“I was once demoted in this job, from sergeant to corporal,” he said. “But I served with dedication and duty; and I love my job. I feel a relief now I am retiring, and I know better days are ahead.
“When I got demoted, I was already at the rank of sergeant for about five years. It really affected me mentally; up to now I feel to myself it was not something that warranted a demotion.”

On a more positive note, Anderson said he was such a serious traffic rank that his superiors would know when he was around.

“The steam I used to carry, people used to complain that children were walking home from school because there was no minibus using the route when I was working,” he said.
“And as a young police, I lectured to schools and taught children about road safety. Then when I was transferred to the college and I was later demoted, it knocked the sting out of me; it took a while for me to understand that it was all part of life.”
He said his vision was to one day run the traffic department, after investing all his energies and time in serving his country. But the demotion would change all that.
“I learned from it, and I ensured my children benefit from that loss. I also ensured that all my children got their education, because I felt that had I qualified myself at a certain level, I would not have been demoted.
“It’s not that I didn’t have the knowledge; it’s just the paperwork wasn’t there. But my children have their degrees, and one is going for a masters. So my children will not suffer as I did,” he said.

Looking on the bright side, Anderson said: “What happened to me was actually a blessing in disguise; it was a great experience in the end.”