Home Affairs Minister urges Police to "stop disrespecting people"

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn has urged ranks of the Guyana Police Force to treat members of the public with respect and empathy, warning that disrespect to persons who go the Police for assistance for help must stop.

Addressing a Police symposium on Tuesday, the Home Affairs Minister who has portfolio responsibility for the Police Force said he has been thinking about having a Police Inspectorate in place that can keep the Force in check, to ensure that the quality and standard of policing and other administrative issues are up to par.

Mr. Benn said, the way Police Stations are kept is also very telling on the Force and there should be improvements as a matter of urgency, since all Police Stations should be welcoming and persons must feel comfortable when they go to the Police with their issues.

“It is not good enough to be looking beautiful in uniform, but the most telling thing about yourself is how you speak, how you relate to people—whether you disrespect people, whether your ablution area is clean or not, that speaks volumes about you, and I want the disrespect to people at police stations to stop,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

He told the Officers and ranks that the onus is on everyone, particularly those in Command to keep their juniors in check, so as to minimize concerns raised about policing.

“Police must speak to people properly and politely, Police, the Station Sergeants and Commanders and the others must make sure that facilities are clean and well kept and that they are functioning, Police must help people and not extort people,” Benn noted.

Even in the Force itself, the Home Affairs Minister implored that there be respect among ranks, especially to female ranks.

“And the disrespect to people must stop, disrespect to women in force, disrespect to women who come to police stations, ducking and hiding issues. I keep an open door and everyday people coming to me with these issues and I have to call the police stations or get somebody to follow up, these things bring us to disrepute,” Benn stated.

Benn told the Police Officers that he is not prepared to take blame for the failure of the GPF and therefore the Force must get itself together.

He explained that if there are failures in the Police, it reflects bad on him as the subject Minister and demeans the Force and opens the door for persons not to trust and respect the Police. The Home Affairs Minister said the time for patting the Police on the back, has come to an end.