Granger doesn’t recognize Top Cop’s confirmation

Granger doesn’t recognize Top Cop’s confirmation

Opposition Leader David Granger on Friday challenged the legality of the recent confirmation of Seelall Persaud as the substantive Commissioner of Police by President Donald Ramotar.

According to Granger, he was not consulted in keeping with provisions laid out in Article 2: 12 of the Guyana Constitution.

He inferred that Tuesday’s swearing in ceremony was improper and added that “the Commissioner is still acting as far as I am concerned.”

The Opposition Leader said the matter is now in the hands of his Attorneys and those closely associated with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

“I see the President purported to swear in the acting Commissioner as the substantive Commissioner, but I don’t know how that could be done in defiance of article 2: 12 of the Constitution,” Granger said.

And he also criticized the 15 point plan which was unveiled by President Donald Ramotar on Thursday for the improvement of the security sector.

Granger overlooked the “15/2015 plan” as mere guidelines and observed that there were some 15 similar plans over the last 14 years, mostly from the British Government that were ignored by the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic and not fully implemented.

President Ramotar said he expects that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will work on the implementation of his plan if it is serious about restoring high levels of public trust and increase its aggressiveness in fighting criminal elements and curbing criminality.

But Granger is more inclined to supporting the full implementation of the Disciplined Forces Commission 2004 recommendations for reform of the Guyana Police Force.

 “I do not believe Ramotar’s guidelines are going to work without the type of reform which deals with the major problems of the force,” he reasoned.

The APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate believes the force is ill equipped and he wants to see  more human and technical resources added to the force.

He recommended a simple five point plan that would see the police being paid better, trained better and a more decisive action being taken to rid the force of corruption and provide resources.

The President’s plan deals largely with restoring confidence among citizens and more efficient response to unlawful incidents.  (Kurt Campbell)

 

Filed: 14th March, 2015

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