A bad precedence has been set by the Divisional Commander

Dec 13, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
Friday (10-12-10) was a red letter day in the history of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). At no time as far as my memory serves me (over 35 years of service) has there been an occasion when a junior to the Commissioner of Police has publicly bested the ‘Top Cop’ and felt quite comfortable and audacious about it.
I specifically refer to the A Division Awards Ceremony at the Brickdam Police Station where the Commander Mr. George Vyphuis, Assistant Commissioner, publicly stated that “Commissioner, you have given $100,000 to the male drill team and $75,000 to the female drill team, but we in A Division will not only match your award, we will double it”. The Commander then announced the award of $200,000 to the male drill team and $150,000 to the female drill team.
Now Mr. Editor, it is widely known by the majority of officers and ranks that the relationship between the Commander of A Division and the present Commissioner of Police dates back a far way. In fact, the Commander Mr. Vyphuis has over the years spared no effort to publicise this friendship, but this act of besting the Commissioner seems to be taking things too far.
Apart from the award being doubled, the grant of numerous other awards (quite a long list) brings into question the source of the funding. It cannot be police money in the sense of its accumulation.
So where did all that money come from? Is there an issue of compromise of the office of the Commander of A Division? Has the Commander brought the Commissioner of Police any discredit, if not the Office of the Commissioner and the ranks of the force?
History recorded a not too dissimilar development where a Divisional Commander (now deceased) by his actions over a project, portrayed an air of authority and power superior to the Commissioner.
He was accorded the appropriate sanctions by the then Commissioner, who stated that there was only one Office of the Commissioner of Police. Among the sanctions was a transfer to a much lower profile office.
Some senior officers are of the opinion that a bad precedent was set, and also that future Commanders of A Division who may not be so inclined to follow it, may very well not be that favourable with the lower ranks.
In all my service I have never seen such arrogance. To my mind it was a serious display of a non-intellectual nature that whetted the appetite of the majority of those present who for sure care little for ethical and moral conduct in such affairs.
To crown it all, the public display of the nakedness of those female bodies, who paraded as models, reinforces the point that lawlessness abounds and no herculean efforts can stop it. If leaders who ought to have even the slightest sense of correctness of actions and appear to care little for the young and often vulnerable in their midst, notwithstanding the presence of senior officers in the police force, can be made to feel that that was a splendid and appropriate display, then we have a very far way to go to learn the unlearned, what is right and proper.
The Police Force has the greatest responsibility where the guidance of society is concerned, particularly compliance with rules, laws and regulations. It therefore should not encourage anti-productive and anti-progressive actions.
Former Police

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A bad precedence has been set by the Divisional Commander

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