Adequately fulfilling a role

Mar 13, 2015 Editorial

In today’s conditions, the job of police officers is clearly more risky and difficult than ever before, and the way they fulfill their role in society has never been under such intense scrutiny.
Given the current tense environment that exists with respect to citizens’ security and an upcoming election, this was no doubt pellucid to everyone who attended, when President Ramotar addressed yesterday’s opening ceremony of the Police Officers’ Annual Conference at Eve Leary, and made clear his dissatisfaction with a number of key elements in relation to service of the citizenry.
The Head of State made it clear that he was not happy that the Guyana Police Force is the least trusted among law enforcement agencies in the Region, and ordered that the ranks work assiduously to clean up their act and remove the perception.
He decried the perceived decrease in trust; what may have fueled those views and what can be done to turn this decrease in trust to an increase in confidence by the citizens.
He urged the leadership of the Guyana Police Force to lead by example and show all the other members the path forward.
The Guyanese leader identified professionalism, knowledge, people skills, firmness and fairness as the hallmarks of officers and ranks of the Force in the discharge of duties.
“In so doing, you will inspire public confidence and trust and (will) be looked upon as role models who are career-oriented and patriotic. The population and those elected to lead, whether in government or in opposition, will hold you, the leadership of the force, accountable for the indiscretions of those among you.
“I expect you to exercise zero tolerance in identifying the corrupt, the social deviants, the misfits who have infiltrated your ranks, and then take appropriate action…A Police Officer cannot be a walking contradiction; on the one hand pretending to be a paragon of virtue but on the other, clandestinely lining his or her pockets.
“Make no mistake, if you fail to perform your duties and fail to honour the oath you took to protect and to serve the Guyanese people, then I will do what I have to do to ensure that the Guyanese people have proper service by the Police Force.”
It is interesting that the President raised the idea of the role of the police, as opposed to the function, and called on members of the force to understand this. This suggests that he wants policemen and policewomen to think and function beyond the technical and operational aspects of police work.
It means that policemen and policewomen should be aware of and fulfill their larger function, purpose, or mission in society.
Policing is a job which requires intimate social interaction, often in highly volatile and sensitive situations. How the police function has an unavoidable influence on social life, social progress, and social change. It is bad if, in general, the police have a too narrow perspective of their role; if they have too broad a view it is equally bad.
In Guyana, it appears that the police best understand their role to protect and serve in terms of how they respond to situations requiring their intervention. Yet their role also requires them to be proactive, to prevent and control unlawful, anti-social conduct and, in particular, to identify problems with the potential for becoming more serious problems.
The proactive element of the role of the police is critical to creating and maintaining a feeling of security in communities in Guyana.
To do this more effectively, the police need to cultivate carefully a more positive image. One way to do this would be to improve information provision to the public about policing and crime, in accordance to needs of local communities.
To adequately fulfill their role, the police must, as the President stressed develop and maintain the support and confidence of the public.
That would be to ensure, as the President said, police ranks understand their role and move to improve public engagement and use more innovative methods of policing.

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