Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
Hunt down those who have not returned police uniforms
– publish photos of all who absconded – Ex-Commissioner
Former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix is advising that the Guyana Police Force employ sterner measures to recover police uniforms that can be used to commit criminal acts by persons posing as lawmen.
The former Top Cop was responding to queries from this newspaper following recent reports that criminals are pouncing on unsuspecting citizens by dressing in police uniforms and setting up illegal roadblocks.
Felix, who served as Commissioner from 2004 to 2006, strongly believes that the force should hunt down those persons who have left the force and have not returned their kits.
Former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix
“The Force should not leave anybody who has absconded to remain in possession of their kits, they must hunt them down,” said Felix.
“If a rank goes absent, the police have procedures to deal with the recovery of their property-go and search for them,” he added.
Kaieteur News understands that police ranks are given one kit per year. This kit which consists of three shirts and three pairs of trousers (in the case of males) and three skirts (in the case of females), must be turned in the following year in order to uplift a new one.
Even if the uniform is badly damaged, it must be turned in so that a proper record could be made.
If a rank should leave the Force without turning in their uniforms and other police property, the police would then forfeit whatever funds they have at the police credit union to pay for the unreturned items.
However, this would not adequately address the problem, since the outstanding uniform could still be used for criminal activity.
“Most people don’t have enough money at the credit union anyway, and I never hear they go after people for kit,” one rank told this newspaper.
Former Commissioner Felix explained that there is a penalty for those who are illegally in possession of police material.
However, while persons can be charged, one senior police officer has acknowledged that this is an area where the Force needs to tighten up.
Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud
“Some ranks leave their old kits in a careless manner and this could somehow get into the hands of a family member who might have bad intentions,” Felix stated.
He said that recent reports of persons posing as policemen are worrying because there appears to be no method in place to stop them.
There have been cases where former policemen and even some currently serving ones were fingered in armed robberies.
He advised that the force administration should take the initiative and try to ascertain how many ranks have absconded (without returning their uniforms) and carry out searches for them.
“In my time we had to produce kits for the past two years at our Divisional Inspection. We had to keep the old uniforms to show that they were not in anybody else’s possession,” Felix said.
The Guyana Defence Force had previously adopted a policy of publishing the photographs of soldiers who went Absent Without Leave (AWOL).
Felix believes that the Guyana Police Force should adopt a similar method, given the high attrition rate within the organization.
“I haven’t seen enough effort to address the problem. Maybe they should publish the photographs of the absconded ranks, just like how people publish photographs for persons who are indebted to an organization,” the former Police Commissioner stated.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
A Different Silence
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Good Friday in Guyana is not what it used to be. The day has lost its hush. There was a... more
Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- On April 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of the higher... more
Weekend Cartoon
