– Law enforcement officer and newly-admitted attorney-at-law says

“You cannot be a policeman and you are not knowledgeable about the law.” These were the sentiments expressed by one newly-admitted Attorney-at-Law Delon Fraser, who was recently admitted to the bar along with three of his law enforcement colleagues.

The Pepperpot Magazine sat down with Assistant Superintendent Delon Fraser, who was very candid. He shared his struggles, victories and joys about what he considered a significant but great achievement.
He began by telling us that he grew up having a desire to take a stand against injustice and unfair treatment meted out to others who could not stand for themselves.

“The acquisition of knowledge is never for self-gratification, but it is to better mankind. It is these very things that drove my desire to learn, to have knowledge of things so that when persons are in need of assistance, you are that person that they will look to help them in whatever situation, scenario, or case that they would have found themselves,” Fraser passionately told the Pepperpot Magazine.

According to him, his drive and passion for helping others come from the fact that he needs to have a greater knowledge of his career. “Therefore, I cannot do that if I limit myself as it relates to my pursuit of educational advancement to help others,” he explained.

Fraser proudly follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who joined the Guyana Police Force and is the “head coach” of the team.
He noted that his grandfather would always remind him that the way in which he presented himself is the very same way that people will address him. He also expressed gratitude to others who helped him in his journey:
“My mentor, my friend, my brother, Dexter Mark Godfrey Todd, I thank God for guiding you in my life 18 years ago as the mentor for the tactical Service Unit Team.

You have supported me all the way, from the beginning of my Academic journey through to Law School. I could not have asked anyone else to present my petition. It is a great feeling to have you do me this honour in presenting my petition today,” Fraser was quoted as saying in his own words as he thanked many persons who were contributors to his success.

THE MARRIAGE BETWEEN AN OFFICER AND A LAWYER
“Law of itself is very vast. It provides the capacity to understand things beyond your lifetime, why things happen the way they do,” Fraser said as he explained how a lawyer and an officer of the force are related.
He debated the question of how one can enforce the law if they do not know the law.

He urged and advocated for persons who are in law enforcement agencies, particularly the Guyana Police Force, to pursue a law degree if they have the opportunity to do so.
Fraser made the point that studying the law at an institution of learning would be a great asset to persons in law enforcement.

“If they know it, then there is not the likelihood of them making errors to cause detriment to someone in society and, of course, giving the organisation a bad name. Suffice to say that if I study then I would get a greater understanding [of how] not to [negatively] affect the lives of people in society,” Fraser said.

Fraser expressed the fact that he is now in a better position to enforce the law.

REGRETS, FAILURES ALONG THE WAY, BE YET THANKFUL MOMENTS
“There were lots of late nights and early mornings, writing of supplemental, the worrying of actually making the top 25 to get to HWLS, to losing two grandparents in short space of time. The lack of financial resources to get this study done was also frustrating. So many ‘no’s’, the refusal to take my calls and failure to respond to my messages especially when seeking scholarships. Then to complete law school during the most horrific time of my existence on earth, COVID-19,” he said. “And just when I thought it was all over at the beginning of my Second year of law School, tragedy struck me once again when I saw my home away from home, my space in times of finding hard solutions to problems both for school and work and a place I kept all my prized possessions, went up in flames.

Millions of dollars up in smoke, invaluable lectures, books and other resources…I was lost, and deeply saddened, but I knew I had to finish, because I knew God would not have brought me that far and left me. So like Job, I kept the faith since I had people depending on me, my cheerleaders, my family and other well-wishers waiting on me to finish. Nevertheless, words cannot express that most wonderful feeling that I am experiencing right now.”