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Guyana Police Force Celebrates 173rd anniversary
Senior Ranks of the Guyana Police Force yesterday flooded the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary as the Force hosted its annual Drum Head Service to commemorate its 173rd year as an organisation.
The Force will be carrying out a month of activities in acknowledgement of the anniversary, but opened the series of activities yesterday in a spiritual aspect.
Drum head proceedings
“An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep…The secret to success is found in leadership,” said Rev. John Smith as he delivered a religious message to the gathering.
Smith said that the lion isn’t the king of the jungle because he is the largest or most powerful animal. He said that the lion gained its fame because of its powerful attitude which transcends his way of life because “as a man thinketh so is he.” The reverend said that if ranks were to inculcate a powerful attitude they will quickly find that they have a powerful purpose.
Rev. Smith said that the Force plays an important role in society, since it has the power either to maintain law and order or indulge and allow corruption and high crime to prevail.
He said that the armed forces were created to serve and protect. However, things seem not as they are supposed to be when he heard of the “left or right” rule.
Rev Smith acknowledged that the Force today is faced with more challenging issues as opposed to decades ago. These include violence in schools, domestic violence, corruption and hard core criminals. However, he said, “We cannot solve problems using the same persons who created them.”
He said that is why God used Jesus, a man who is not of the world, to save the world.
Rev Smith said that the right or left rule shows that things are not right in the Force. He noted that he is aware that these inadequacies occur because of the ranks’ temptation to focus more on making a living but he urged for them to instead focus on making a difference that “we all can benefit from.”
The Reverend reminded that trust should not be for sale therefore “these people must not pay you but pay society.”
According to Rev Smith, if ranks become contented with their wages, half the problem is solved. He opinioned that the other half can be solved by ranks becoming more religious and cited the biblical verse, “except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keepeth the city, the watchman watcheth but in vain.”
Once religion is reinvigorated within theForce the integrity and shine will automatically return, he said.
He again cited an instant in the bible where tax collectors went to be baptized and Jesus was asked how much must they pay. “You must collect no more than what is owed to you.”
Similarly, Rev Smith said that when the soldiers asked what they should do Jesus replied, serve and protect “not vindicate or accuse falsely.”
As he moved to the overall leadership of the Force, Smith said that “Guyana needs not more politicians in leadership, but leadership in politicians.”
He said that a politician thinks and works toward the next election as opposed to a leader who will think about and work for the betterment of the next generation “politicians have a programme as opposed to a vision.”
Smith said that there are four types of people in the world, those who watch things happen, those who let things happen, those who ask for things to happen and those who make things happen. “I hope you my friends become the type that make things happen.”
In an invited comment, the Commissioner of Police (ag) Leroy Brummel said that he found the sermon quite pertinent to the happenings within the Force and the direction in which they should go. He said, however, that he believes the Force can return to its “former glory.”
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