Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
Police Prosecutors vs. Lawyers, SC an unfair battle – Rohee
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee
“More police should be sent for training to be lawyers first of all, particularly in prosecution matters. And then on their return they should be posted to strengthen the DPP Chambers, to make it a stronger and enhanced autonomous body.”
By Jarryl Bryan
Cases in which defendants are represented by trained Attorneys-at-Law and even Senior Counsel (SC), while the state is represented by police Prosecutors without comparative legal training are clearly disadvantageous to the state.
This was an opinion expressed by former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, in a recent interview.
He said that there are cases where Police Prosecutors face off against fully fledged legal teams and invariably this did not bode well for the prosecution.
“That is a disadvantage, because then it means that most of those Police Prosecutors are being trained on the job, which is most likely, not the best thing,” he said. “The experience is important. But the experience, together with the legal training is probably the best way to go.”
“In the Justice Sector Improvement Programme, which is a companion to the Citizens’ Security Programme, it had been a recommendation that Police Prosecutors should be seconded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s Chambers,” he added.
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary stated that between three and five of these Prosecutors were seconded to the Chambers, in what was expected to be an ongoing process. He noted that the whole idea was for Police Prosecutors to move over in their entirety to the DPP chambers, though he admitted that they were not necessarily trained lawyers.
Rohee stated that while it was recommended that the DPP’s Chambers have Police Prosecutors seconded to it, the force’s budget should have provisions for a contingent to be sent for legal training annually.
“What should have happened was that the police should receive legal training, because there is provision for this in the police training budget, which should enable the police to send two or three ranks every year for training, because it is pretty expensive to be trained as a lawyer.”
“In fact, (Minister of Public Security Khemraj) Ramjattan did say that they would spare no ends in training police. So in keeping with that undertaking, and in keeping with the Justice Sector Improvement Programme, I think that is the course that should be taken.”
“More police should be sent for training to be lawyers first of all, particularly in prosecution matters. And then on their return they should be posted to strengthen the DPP’s Chambers, to make it a stronger and enhanced autonomous body.”
Questions have recently been raised about the need for the state to bring on board experienced State Counsel in order to prosecute complex, high profile cases. This especially came to the fore with the prosecution of former Public Service Minister Dr. Jennifer Westford and her assistant, Margaret Cummings.
Westford, who is a current Member of Parliament for the PPP, and Cummings, are facing 24 simple larceny charges. The charges allege that between August 2011 and April 2015, while being employed in the Public Service of the Government of Guyana, they stole the sum of $639.4M belonging to the state. They allegedly received the money by virtue of their employment.
The two women, whose trial started last week, are being represented by a panel of seven lawyers – Senior Counsel Rex McKay, Keisha Chase, Eusi Anderson, Dexter Todd, Neil Boston, Bibi Shaddick and Brandon Glasford. The state is being represented by Police Prosecutors.
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