Humans are always on the lookout for advancement in their pursuit of the good life

Oct 17, 2013 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
It is not without serious misgivings that I write to express some thoughts on the recent resignations at the Strategic Management Department at the Guyana Police Force.
I first of all want to tackle the comments on commitment purportedly shared by a “senior officer” on the issue.  I like almost all sane Guyanese was very hopeful when the SMD was established by the Ministry of Home Affairs no doubt, after reviews would have been conducted of the organizational structure and capacity of the Force.
It is only an atrophied mind which refuses to accept that humans are always on the lookout for advancement in their pursuit of the good life.  To deny this human condition is to deny the existence of a basic human right. I am of the strong view that these resignation decisions were prompted by more than a desire for more money, and therefore we need to look at all that has gone before.
If I remember correctly, very early in its existence I read that the SMD was not receiving the cooperation of some senior officers. My enquiries revealed that it was really one very senior officer who was not inclined to transform his thinking to accommodate the evolving structural framework which is intended to facilitate the smooth implementation of the strategic plan.
As a matter of fact this same officer I am told, deludes himself that he is the fount from which all knowledge flows. This delusion is aided and abetted by other senior officers who are reluctant to call him on his self-ascribed expertise on almost any subject that is broached.
It is unfortunate that these people have removed themselves from what can best be described as an uncomfortable, uncooperative and uncompromising situation, but does it really reflect good judgment to question their commitment under these circumstances?  Does it do any good to seek to deny them the exercise of their constitutional right to pursue their own happiness and job satisfaction wherever these can be found?  I think not!
I also read that the ministry has allocated huge sums to cover a range of resource needs, including training in strategic management.  I have to ask where are the officers who benefitted from this training located; why haven’t the beneficiaries of strategic management training formed the nucleus of the SMD; why the need for a civilian-led arrangement?  The answers to those questions will go a long way towards resolving the dilemma in which the Force finds itself in terms of allocation and utilization of the resources provided by the government.
Among the priorities for citizens is the capability of the GPF to provide a rapid response to their 911 calls, but this is confounded by the almost insatiable demands by the police for resources which are not reflected in accountability for the way these resources are allocated.  Therefore problem-solving through strategic partnerships should be explored.
Partnership with others who have resources to offer in terms of time, expertise, ideas, energy, and equipment etc. can help immensely on pragmatic grounds, since it would be one way for the GPF to tackle serious problems efficiently and effectively by aligning their own limited resources to those of others.  Neither the police nor the public can ignore their responsibility to push for this arrangement.  This will not be an easy task, since the GPF is set in its ways, and therefore a management review should be undertaken which looks at attitudes, competency and performance among other factors.
I hasten to add that the prospects for such an examination may be easier said than done due to the same intransigence mentioned earlier.  Based upon my limited awareness of what obtains in Guyana, I would strongly urge that improvements in the GPF performance could be considerably enhanced by reshaping administrative structures and cultures, and more reliance on strategic resource management in the transformative process.  The University of Guyana could be approached to contribute to such an effort.
The need to create opportunities for policing strategies to succeed by bringing in outside resources to bear on police problems can never be overstated, since the police alone cannot solve the many serious crime and public order problems.  I am not for one moment saying that this cooperative relationship will be easy, since the police and other parties do not always have the same agenda, or agree on the merit and propriety of particular ends and means.  Police should be sensitive to the possibility, or the perception, that they are demanding too much in the way of public resources, or doing so in a way that slights GPF procedures and priorities.
But the proven power of partnerships between the police and the public, and the police and other government agencies, means that, with the new strategies, police effectiveness becomes not just a matter of their own resources and operational capacity, but their ability to design solutions that capture the support and active aid of others, including the media.
Sylvia St Romain

 

 

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