Clement Rohee versus the Commissioner of Police

Jun 02, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,

So the Commissioner of Police and former Crime Chief has finally raised his head, scampering off to Kaieteur News for cover. He appears to be quite upset and bothered by the call for Blanhum to be immediately promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police which is befitting of a Crime Chief of the Guyana Police Force. Further, he seems flustered by the comparison made between his years as Crime Chief and the current Crime Chief’s one year record.
That is a burden he will have to carry. As regards “ducking” applications for overseas training for Police ranks. That is a complete falsehood. Numerous ranks went overseas for training under my watch. One example of the poverty of the Force’s approach to this matter would suffice; it took about four years for three Commissioners including Persaud to produce a five (5) year overseas training plan for ranks in the various branches of the Guyana Police Force.  When the “plan” was finally produced it was worthless.
The three Commissioners were advised during their respective tenureships that they should formulate a programme for overseas training, similar to that done by the Guyana Defence Force to ensure predictability and to guarantee funding from budgetary resources.
I told each Commissioner that the plan should envisage in a futuristic manner, the various capacities the Force would wish to have for its Branches five years down the road; meaning the number of ranks and the specific areas of training that would be required to build institutional capacity. The costing aspect would be left to the Ministry.
Sad to say, none of the Commissioners were never able to accomplish this “herculean task”.  Clearly, strategic thinking was lacking.
Sometime later, I asked the current Commissioner whether the Force has an anti-crime plan. He said “no”. I then requested him to prepare and submit one. One month later I received a “plan”.  It was a rehash of what was being reported routinely to Central Intelligence Committee (CIC) and Defence Board, it made no sense. The persistent request for more and more vehicles was the plan’s main recommendation to fight crime.
As regards “ducking requests” to send ranks abroad on foreign-funded courses, such requests require Cabinet’s approval since government is required to provide advances whether the courses are fully funded or partially funded.
Invariably, the Force would receive the invitations late, in other cases Force Admin would sit on it, resulting in the internal decision being made late as regards it nominee or nominees. This in turn results in the late arrival of the Force’s correspondence to the Ministry for the preparation of a Cabinet paper for onward transmission to Cabinet office for inclusion on Cabinet’s agenda.  Cabinet had ruled that requests for approval to travel must reach the Cabinet office one week in advance of the request for approval not departure from the jurisdiction. Persaud should release those requests which he claimed were “ducked” since he would have a record at Force Headquarters of those fully funded courses.
Persaud has assumed the mantle of the politician with his references to public trust, and in light of his comparative analysis between myself and Ramjattan. Public trust of the Force is still at an all time low – apparently Persaud did not read what the mother and others said in relation to his handling of the Babita Sarjou investigation. Her statement is a microcosm of what obtains nationally.
It is interesting to note that Persaud visited the home of Sarjou’s mother but he spurned the suggestion that he should visit and meet Sheema Mangar’s parents. Persaud exposes himself when he referred to the Force being an “integrated organization” and that “support comes from all over” (the Force).
If that is the case, how come Persaud, while Crime Chief did not succeed as Blanhum is?  Why did he not get the “support from all over” to crack the many cases that piled up under his watch? Did that have to do with morale in the Force or was it lack of support for him by his ranks? Was it political, to make the PPP/C look bad? In case he does not know, all governments work in an integrated manner, within the meaning of collective responsibility.
Persaud met weekly at CIC, monthly at Defence Board, every week with the Minister and from time to time with the President on a bilateral level, so where is the beef? Insofar as Ministerial intrusion and political interference is concerned it is easy to cry foul in this matter as some bureaucrats are wont to do.  However, as I said  before I had requested  in my last address to the Annual Conference of Police Officers in 2015, that the Senior Management of the Force, submit to my office, all instances of Ministerial intrusion and political interference, they never did. Now that I am no longer their subject Minister there is no need to fear, (as if there ever was) this can still be done.
Clement Rohee
Former Minister of Home Affairs

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