Senior officers of the Guyana Police Force got an early morning tongue lashing from President Donald Ramotar who said the Force needs to do a whole lot more and regain the trust of the public.
In a stern voice, the President lambasted the Force over the number of reports of corruption that have been revealed over the past few years. He told the officers that “the population and those elected to lead whether in government or opposition will hold you, the leadership, accountable for the indiscretions of those among you or those who you lead, if they are culpable of indiscretions.”
The President told the senior officers that “there is a minority, the few rotten oranges that could spoil the whole basket and I expect you to exercise zero tolerance in identifying the corrupt, the social deviant and misfits who have infiltrated your ranks and then take appropriate action. I also expect you the leadership to set the example, and if, after self assessment you are found wanting, you take corrective action.”
He said a police officer cannot be a walking contradiction who “on one hand is pretending to be a paragon of virtue but on the other, is clandestinely lining his or her pockets.”
Mr. Ramotar also told the officers that if they fail to act on the issue of corruption within the force, as President he will “do what I have to do to ensure that the Guyanese people have proper service by the Police Force.”
President Ramotar made reference to the recent survey by the Latin American Public Opinion Project which found that the Guyana Police Force is the least trusted police force in the entire region.
He said the results of the survey ought not to be ignored. According to Ramotar, there is a reality that many members of the public have lost trust in the Guyana Police Force. He said the police conference must examine the issue and look to better the image of the Police Force.
The Latin American survey found that confidence in judicial institutions and the police have declined between 2012 and 2014. the Police Force was found to be the least trusted organisation.
In the region, Guyana scored the lowest level of trus. On a scale of 0 to 100, the Guyana Police Force scored 35.3.
The President also called on the officers to look at their response time to criminal reports. He said it is clear that Guyana also has the worst response time in the region.
The annual Police Officers conference will end on Saturday.
Filed: 12th March, 2015
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