Latest update January 1st, 2025 1:00 AM
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Police promotions… CPG members feel left out
With the police promotions for 2016 finalised, members of the Community Policing Executive are beginning to feel left out.
No one from that body was promoted this year and the members are beginning to feel
CPG members have not been promoted for several years.
that they are being gradually phased out from national policing duties.
Members of the CPG are appointed Rural Constables upon entry into the police auxiliary body, before they are promoted to Corporal and all the way up to the rank of inspector.
Kaieteur News understands that there have been no promotions of CPG members for the past three years, and some are beginning to question if their work is being appreciated.
Members of the CPGs are promoted based on recommendations to the Commissioner of Police from the Divisional Commanders in the district they serve.
According to a source, these recommendations were not made within the past five years.
“One man is a rural corporal for seven years. Every time we submit names for promotion is a problem,” one rural constable stated.
“We actually do more work than the police themselves, sometimes. So instead of recognising our role with certificates, the Force should show appreciation by prompting us, after all, we don’t want to take away their work but we just want to be recognized in a better way,” another CPG member told this newspaper.
When contacted yesterday, Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, who is now responsible for the Force’s Administration, said that the police is not oblivious to the situation.
He explained that the Force has given clear policy directions to the National Community Policing executive and the Divisional Commanders on the criteria for the promotion of CPG members.
This was done at a recently held meeting with the National CPG body in the conference room of the Commissioner’s Office.
“Once the recommendations are made, consideration will be given,” a top ranking officer told this newspaper.
“We expect that the Commanders would recommend these people in keeping with the time for the Force anniversary this year,” Ramnarine added.
CPGs are an integral part of policing in Guyana. They apprehend criminal suspects; go to court and give evidence. For many of them who spoke to this newspaper, the current situation is discouraging.
Only recently Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan reiterated the government’s commitment to Community Policing. This is despite claims that the new APNU+AFC government is paying little attention to CPGs.
Soon after coming into office, Ramjattan had ordered that some of the vehicles being used by Community Policing groups be transferred to the regular Police Force; a move that sparked some controversy especially on the part of the new Opposition.
But according to Ramjattan, these vehicles will be replaced to the Community Policing Groups, along with other needed resources.
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