How big a challenge is the Modernisation of the Guyana Police Force?

Jun 10, 2013 News

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Senior reporter Dale Andrews’ exclusive interview with Patrick Mentore, Head, Strategic Management Department

The Head of the Strategic Management Department that is overlooking the Guyana Police Force’s strategic development plan, Patrick Mentore, believes that changing an ingrained organisational culture that has been in place for decades will not happen overnight.
He is convinced that if given the time, the unit could achieve its task of transforming the force into a modern police entity.
Last week he sat down with Senior Reporter Dale Andrews for an exclusive interview on how the unit plans to achieve its goals.
Continued from yesterday…

KN: Coming out of your audit did you determine any areas which are in need immediate reform; and if so what areas have you identified?
PM: I think it is a bit too early to pronounce on that; what I can say is that the SMD will be making our findings known to Force administration along with our recommendations on the relevant best practices in the areas so identified.
KN: You mentioned strategic priorities, can we have some brief idea of what these entail?
PM: I am not sure that any answer on that aspect can be brief. However I will try to be as brief as possible by identifying the individual priorities and a few of the deliverables under each core priority area. Under operational priorities the focus is on drugs; firearms; domestic violence; traffic; cybercrime and international money laundering; piracy; people trafficking; Office of Professional Responsibility; and transparency. Among the objectives the GPF hopes to achieve with regard to drugs is an increase in the number of drug trafficking prosecutions; and the initiation of an educational programme for vulnerable groups in society. The deliverables refer to specific the examples of youth, convicted persons and the unemployed. The Force would like to increase the number of weapons and ammunition seized and destroyed. In the results oriented framework these objectives have been assigned a percentage based on baseline data which the GPF expects to achieve during the implementation period. With respect to domestic violence one goal is to increase the public’s trust and confidence in the Force’s ability to deal with reported incidents of DV robustly and effectively. As I said just now there really is no brief way to explain the deliverables the strategic plan identifies and we are working on presenting a summarised version with which we hope the public can identify.
KN: You mentioned Office of Professional Responsibility; in light of the constant criticism and complaints about professional misconduct, do you see the OPR playing a role in ensuring that ranks conform to established professional standards? Is the OPR in its present state capable of making an input in that regard in view of widely held beliefs that even that body is not as professional as it should be?
PM: One deliverable in respect of the OPR is that it is to be upgraded to perform functions similar to that of an internal affairs unit with full authority and I daresay autonomy. I cannot comment on its capability or on the professionalism of its members. I am sure that those issues will be addressed at the appropriate time.
KN: Just as a follow up, what assurances can anyone be given that the OPR officers’ integrity can withstand scrutiny particularly when there are allegations that that office intervenes in matters outside of its jurisdiction?
PM: On the question of integrity I can only point to the fact that among the deliverables is one which speaks to setting up a process for integrity testing of ranks. I am not sure that the OPR would be excluded from such tests.
KN: What are your immediate plans for the short term?
PM: The Strategic Management Department proposes to conduct an analysis using a series of one day workshops at different levels of the GPF. We also propose having a session with external stakeholders who can provide vital information regarding opportunities and threats in the environment affecting the Guyana Police Force. Key recommendations and next-steps will be highlighted, and where necessary, projects or other interventions will be designed to address key issues. We will also be conducting a survey which will focus on ethics in the Force. Depending on the logistics we hope to engage the community in the various divisions to get residents’ perceptions on their expectations of the police role among other matters. We hope to be able to design risk mitigation strategies for anticipated threats to implementation.
KN: Have you encountered any challenges so far, and if you have, what are they and how is your team coping?
PM: You know, Dale, life is one big challenge. I think that the biggest challenge thus far has been one of sloth. This may sound unkind, but the reality is that an organization which has been around for one hundred and seventy-four years is to all intents and purposes, set in its ways. It is not unknown that there will be an almost unhealthy fear of the unknown which change often brings. Being accustomed to operating in a certain way means that resistance must be overcome by education and awareness sessions. It is my belief that the commitment expressed at the top must be transmitted downwards, and there must be some indicator which informs how successful the need for, and benefits of reform have been passed on. Having said that, for the spoken word to have an impact it must be accompanied by appropriate behavior at all levels and not be seen in the context of “do as I say and not as I do.” We plan to engage officers and ranks in focus groups to address concerns and fears in a frank manner; to hear their views and to outline their role and the role of the Strategic Management Department in moving the reform process forward. I would like to reiterate that as much as we appreciate the expectant mood of all stakeholders, reform will not come overnight; we all have to work at making the strategic plan a success; the nation deserves no less.
KN: Finally, has the police reception to the SMD team’s advent in the police environment been one of encouragement?
PM: As in everything there will always be speed bumps which we have to take in stride. Our effectiveness will depend on whether the culture of the GPF has evolved enough to accept unsworn professionals. If the organisational culture is dismissive of professional expertise and opinions, and is one which fosters the belief that civilians have to constantly prove themselves we will get nowhere just as fast. Thus changing the overall police culture will be one of the critical factors in reforming the force because a positive culture grounded in high professional standards underpinned by sound and moral values promotes public confidence and a sense of harmony in society. I would like to share this thought that I picked up somewhere “Refusing to improve one’s self even when one is stuck in a fairly dismal state constitutes doing a grave injustice to oneself. Shutting out any possible avenues for change and betterment when someone else is counting on you is an even graver offence.”
The process of reformation, modernisation and improving the performance of the Guyana Police Force will not be an easy task. Change will require strong and inspired leadership, strong and sustained political will on the part of Government, and members of the Force to welcome, embrace and champion it.

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