Harmon chides Benn over letter to Top Cop on probing senior officers

In a letter to the Top Cop, the Home Affairs Minister requested that investigations be done into allegations of perverting the course of justice, corruption and larceny that have been made against some senior officers.

Harmon chides Benn over letter to Top Cop on probing senior officers

The move by the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn to write the Police Commissioner on the investigation of several high-ranking Police Officers over various allegations has raised concern in the Police Force.

Now the Opposition, APNU+AFC is also expressing concern.

Opposition Leader Joe Harmon said the Home Affairs Minister is clearly sticking his hand in the business of the Guyana Police Force.

In a letter to the Top Cop, the Home Affairs Minister requested that investigations be done into allegations of perverting the course of justice, corruption and larceny that have been made against some senior officers.

Opposition Leader Joe Harmon said the Minister now appears to be acting outside of his portfolio.

“I think it’s very unfortunate that Mr. Benn would seek to get involved in Police administration. The Minister’s duty has to do with policy. The operational deployment and the use of the Force are for the responsibility of the Commissioner of Police, and so any investigation that is to be done should be launched by the Commissioner of Police and not by Mr. Benn”, the Opposition Leader said.

The Opposition Leader said while he is disappointed by the move by the Government Minister, he is not surprised since it is the same Minister that was pushing for investigations to be carried out against some Commissioners of the Elections Commission just after the elections.

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn

The Opposition Leader said he is convinced that there is more to the move by the Home Affairs Minister to call for investigations to be conducted against senior officers who are up for promotion.

“Those investigations in my view are designed to prevent people who are entitled to promotion from getting their promotions and I trust that the Police Service Commission, who should by now have already done their work, would proceed to the public with the list of persons, who are eligible for the promotion”, he said.

There are reports that owing to the probe of the senior officers, the announcement of promotions has been put on hold.

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