Well done Mr. Commissioner!

Jul 13, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The Guyana Police Force under the leadership of the present Commissioner is with each day demonstrating that it is willing to listen to constructive criticisms and respond to issues concerning the functioning of the Force and the actions of its ranks.

The leadership of the present Commissioner has been impressive and judging from the response to this column, it is clear that the Guyana Police Force is interested in improving its image and its service to the Guyanese people.

This is a healthy sign and one that is likely to earn the respect of the citizenry of this country.

More importantly it represents a break with the past, when the Force seemed to be beyond this sort of engagement with the public. For this, both the Commissioner of Police and the Force’s Public Relations Officer deserve commendations.

This column has consistently argued that while there is little which can be done by agencies of the state to reverse the general economic direction in which the country is headed, a great difference in the quality of services offered can be achieved by simple adjustments in the way things are done.

The recent response by the Guyana Police Force to an article in this column is a good example of the sort of difference which can be made through the simple courtesy, which the police force has demonstrated, of responding to concerns expressed by members of the public.

I am sure that the public will be extremely pleased to have read the contents of that press release and that it will make a major difference in the way the public perceives the Guyana Police Force and in the way they respond to the Force. And to think that this difference was achieved simply by the Force responding to an article in this column is all the more pleasing.

To recap, this column has questioned whether it was standard operational procedure for the members of a police patrol, having pulled over a vehicle, to remain seated in their vehicle, and have the driver of the stopped vehicle exit his vehicle and approach the police vehicle. The force has responded that this is not the procedure.

Questions were also asked about the habit of traffic ranks holding on to the documents of vehicles which they have stopped, as means of forcing the drivers to report to the station.

This matter has also been clarified. In addition, the police have also clarified the grounds on which a vehicle may be detained.

I am sure that the traveling public is now more fully aware of what is to be expected on our roadways. With this knowledge, they are likely to feel less intimidated when stopped by a rank and with the knowledge of their “rights”, they are less likely to be harassed on the roadways. We can also correspondingly expect greater professionalism by the police now that these things have been explained.

All of this will make for a healthy relationship between the police and the public, something that is necessary for improved law enforcement.

This improved relationship would also rebound to the image of the Guyana Police Force. And as mentioned before, all of this simply because the Force took the opportunity to respond to some constructive criticisms offered in these pages. This is a prime example of the way in which minor adjustments can result in major changes within our society, something that has been advocated for some time now within this column.

One of the problems though is slippages. A relapse into old ways is always possible and thus it is for the Guyana Police Force to institutionalise these measures and for the traveling public to ensure that the declared standards are not compromised.

One of the big problems we have in this country is one of starting something and then allowing things to slip back into the old ways.

The media can play an important role in this process by monitoring the degree of compliance with the laid down procedures. Any breach of the procedures should be reported on so that the Guyana Police Force can take the necessary corrective action.

The responsibility for ensuring that these standards are maintained is that of both the public and the police. The Guyana Police Force has taken the first step in announcing what is to be expected.

The public should not allow the standard operating procedures to be flouted and should hold all police ranks to these standards.

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Well done Mr. Commissioner!

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Well done Mr. Commissioner!

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