Henry Greene is misguided

Apr 17, 2012 Editorial

The Henry Greene issue seems far from over. When the Director of Public Prosecutions recommended that he be charged for rape he succeeded in challenging the decision. His lawyers moved to the High Court before the Chief Justice and successfully argued that the decision to charge was ill-founded.
Indeed, this did not find favour with a large section of the society because, as some claimed, the Police Commissioner abused his office. Others claimed that his past should have made him face the courts, that there were others who should have made similar claims but did not. Surely, these people were being irrational.
The matter has moved beyond that stage. By his own admission the Commissioner behaved inappropriately. In the first instance he accommodated a woman who had approached him to pervert the course of justice. He then goes beyond listening to the woman; he had what he called consensual sex with her.
Surely the commissioner must realize that he behaved inappropriately and in a manner unbecoming of a commissioner. He must have seen the reaction of the public. It could be that he is of the view that the members of the public did not employ him and thus he is not accountable to them. However, the reality is that he is a servant of the very people who are calling for his resignation.
In most other countries the commissioner in the same position as Mr Greene would have demitted office out of respect for the very police force and in deference to the people who employ him. It may be one thing for the courts to determine that a charge was out of the question but it is another thing for the commissioner to recognize that he could not expect to return to his desk.
For one, he is already tainted in the eyes of the very policemen he leads and would want to continue leading; it is another thing for him to command their respect. He would also be hard pressed to be respected by his officers.
However, there is worse; the administration has now openly said that he is not needed and that he should resign. The situation has now moved from a request to a clear indication that he is not needed. A very senior official has now gone public with the words that if the commissioner does not resign then he would be terminated.
There could be no clearer signal that he should demit office. None other than the president has said that he has asked the Cabinet Secretary to deal with the issue.
It must be embarrassing for the police commissioner to be caught in such a bind. In the first instance he attained the age of retirement some time ago. He has therefore qualified for all his benefits. He must have approached the administration for an extension and this was duly granted. For the Commissioner to behave as though he holds pride of place in the Guyana Police Force at this time is to further insult his intelligence.
One Minister of Government who is actively involved in women’s issues was very vocal about the commissioner’s removal. Similar calls came from just about every women’s organization, including the Guyana Women Lawyers’ Association. The social organisations have also come out in this regard.
Yet this is not all about the commissioner disregarding calls for his resignation; this is about the administration being slothful in its action. The administration was quick to send Mr Greene on leave to allow for an investigation. Instead of sending him on leave the administration should have asked him to resign. This would have avoided all that is happening at this time.
It is still an administrative decision and we are certain that it is rubbish on the part of the administration to suggest that it is not easy to dismiss a police commissioner. If the administration believes that there would be a problem then it should take whatever action it feels is necessary and if necessary be prepared to face the courts.
The hearing for wrongful termination would be interesting, especially when the court hears that the commissioner by his own admission behaved inappropriately.

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Henry Greene is misguided

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