-Minister Walrond backs tougher accountability, says force must prioritise integrity over numbers
HOME Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond has said that officers involved in wrongdoing should face consequences, noting that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) must prioritise integrity over simply increasing its numbers.
“We don’t need the bad actors,” Walrond said during an appearance on the Starting Point podcast.
She said officers who discover a colleague engaged in wrongdoing have a duty to report it. Failure to report misconduct, she added, could suggest collusion.
“They absolutely have to be charged. Speaking with the commanders and those in charge of the CID across the country, because it’s not just Georgetown but across the region, is that if you find a colleague in wrongdoing, a report has to be made,” she said.
She added, “What you’re finding, because [they are] their friends or your ‘squaddie,’ you know, reports are not made when there is wrongdoing.”
Walrond said the government was seeking to strengthen accountability within the force and that officers found participating in illegal activities should be charged. She also described efforts to change what she characterised as a culture of silence around misconduct.
Her comments came during a broader discussion of police reform, including merit-based promotions, body-worn cameras and efforts to make integrity and professionalism central to officers’ careers.
Walrond said promotions should reflect an officer’s service record and disciplinary history, rather than years on the job alone.
The minister acknowledged the need to expand the force, but said growth should not come at the expense of standards. The aim, she said, was to retain officers committed to serving the public with integrity.
Walrond said she did not want misconduct by some officers to define the entire force, noting that many serving officers were dedicated to their work. However, she stressed that rank or seniority should not shield anyone from accountability.
“Those reports have to be made because you can’t really enforce or sanction if there is not even a complaint to make the report, and so that is being addressed, regardless of who you are, and particularly in the police force, that has to that has to be encouraged, and it continues to be encouraged,” she stressed.
“While the police force needs to be expanded, it’s more about quality over quantity. We don’t want, we don’t need the bad actors. So, send them off.”
