Review the police and the army

Aug 27, 2009 Editorial

Ever since the news broke that the military might have been involved in criminal acts on the waterways of the Essequibo, the nation has been set to wonder about the safety of ordinary citizens. One resident in Bartica was quoted as saying that it is now left to the people to take their chances.
As could be expected, a large number of the law enforcers are upright citizens who put work before all. Someone once said that there is a thin line between the criminal and law enforcer. They all come from the same society.
Guyana with its small population, however, seems to be coughing up more criminals, both in and out of uniform, than any other society with a similar population.
Moral standards are on the decline and this corresponds with the decline in academic levels at the various primary and secondary schools. It would be interesting to know the percentage of children who actually leave school qualified to face the world of work and ready to undertake the process of national development.
Gone are the days when better qualified people joined the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force. Some of these better qualified Guyanese, people with six and seven Ordinary Levels, had made the army and police a career. These became officers.
At the lower level there was always a problem. These were the workers destined to take orders, but most worked to secure promotions. They studied for the various examinations. They too were pursuing a career in these institutions. These days the people who enter the ranks do so because they need a job, not for the sake of the job but for the illegal opportunities on offer.
They have the perception that in the same way people rush to become Customs officers, they will become traffic officers or Black Clothes ranks with access to guns and other people’s money.
That is why there should be thorough screening of people being placed in such positions. There was a hue and cry about polygraphy, but from all appearances this system is going to reduce the number of criminals trying to use the various organizations as cover for their nefarious activities.
This then poses a quandary for the recruiters.
Every law enforcement organization needs people who would take things that bit further as is the case of certain units such as the SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams that operate in North America and Europe.
There are also the Special Services Units that target crimes that are not necessarily domestic in nature or are beyond the pale. These should be in the minority and should undergo rigid training and scanning.
Guyana has its Target Squad and the army has its Special Forces. These units should often be debriefed after operations. In certain cases, counseling should be offered to those most likely to be affected mentally or emotionally.
At one time, though, in Guyana, in the absence of proper psychiatric help, men returned to the streets to kill with impunity. They were the judges, jury and executioners.
Petty thieves died even after they had surrendered. This was halted by a previous Police Commissioner and some measure of decency returned. There were more arrests and prosecutions. Indeed there were frustrations at the level of the courts.
But recently there has been lax behaviour both on the part of some sections of the administrative bodies in the army and the police. There has not been a special investigative unit to investigate these ranks, even periodically. Investigation should be a constant, because once people know that they are being scrutinized they are likely to behave differently.
There was a burst of activity when members of the public reported corrupt policemen who were then placed before the courts, but even that has not stopped others from going that route.
Now there are policemen who, recently, not only stole some of the evidence but who also challenged the authorities. They were prepared to kill the witness. They have found that they are not above the law.
How many others there are cannot be ascertained, but there needs to be an overhaul of the system that places ranks in certain positions; there must also be a review of the people placed to lead these special ranks.
A civilian body should be made a part of any review of both the police and the army.
In the same way that there is a civilian body to monitor operations in the prisons there must be one to monitor the army and the police.
The public must be able to trust the people in uniform rather than expect them to be on the same side as the criminals.

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Review the police and the army

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