–says Top Cop

A DECISION by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to appoint civilians, Mark Ramotar and Stan Gouveia, to head its Public Relations (PR) unit was in keeping with recommendations outlined in a report from a United Kingdom (UK)-based consultancy team, Police Commissioner (ag), Nigel Hoppie has said.

The appointment of Ramotar as Director of Communications at the GPF, and Gouveia as Deputy Director in March this year, has since been questioned, particularly by opposition Member of Parliament Geeta Chandan-Edmond, who moved recently to the National Assembly for answers.

While not responding directly to Chandan-Edmond, Hoppie, in a recent appearance on radio programme “The Police and You,” said the appointment is in keeping with the recommendations outlined in a PR consultancy report, which was prepared by consultants out of the UK.

The consultants, Dr. Joan Boyd and Susan Corbett, who both visited Guyana in 2019 through the British High Commission to conduct a training seminar with the GPF’s PR unit at that time, recommended that the appointment of civilians to the PR unit should be considered by the police force.

It was reported that both Dr. Boyd and Corbett worked as journalists in Northern Ireland and have also worked very closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. They are reputable Media Consultants spanning the areas of Public Relations, Communications, Crisis Communications, Journalism, Media Relations, Corporate Communications and Social Media.
Considering their vast experience in the field of communications, the consultants were equipped with the knowledge and expertise to analyse the PR unit of the GPF and even provide advice on methods that could be employed to improve not only the channels of communication, but also the structure of the unit.

“Several recommendations were made, and one of the recommendations was that civilians should occupy the upper echelon of the public relations department,” Hoppie related, adding: “This forms part of the strategic plan 2019-2021 which has five priority areas, and so we have performance, developing people, operational priorities, infrastructure and partnership.”
Further information from the GPF states that the inclusion of civilians in the PR unit stems from the demand for accountability, transparency and regular dissemination of information, as well as recommended police reforms.

Part of the mandate of the new PR unit is to build a ‘harmonious’ and ‘friendly’ relationship with the community, as this relationship is crucial to every aspect of law enforcement.
“The Guyana Police Force has realised that while police officers have been performing these functions traditionally and historically, the administration of the GPF thought it best that these functions should now be performed by civilians who are duly trained and qualified,” the Guyana Police Force said.

In outlining the skillset of the recent appointees, the GPF said Ramotar has a rich journalism background and brings with him a wealth of mass media experience.
He was Editor-in-Chief of the state-owned Guyana National Newspapers Limited for several years, and also the Editor of INews and Guyana Times. Ramotar studied journalism at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, where he won several awards, including that of best-graduating student. He also completed several media training programmes including one with the UK-based Commonwealth Press Union (CPU).

The Director of Communications at the GPF also has a Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA) as well as specialised training/certification in project management, philosophy, conflict resolution and digital marketing. Gouveia, on the other hand, brings to the table almost three decades of experience in the field of broadcasting, having spent two-thirds of that time at the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation/National Communications Network Inc.

Up to December 2020, the veteran broadcaster served as the Public Information Officer of the Civil Defence Commission.

Gouveia holds qualifications in Communication Studies from the University of Guyana, and several certifications in journalism and healthcare, having worked in the field of HIV/STI counseling/testing and treatment.