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My opinion on the motive of the Commissioner of Police
The Commissioner of Police is a very powerful person in all countries of the world. It is an office with formidable authority. Because of the prestige and power of the office, subordinates will not even think for a fleeting moment of refusing to carry out an order of the Commissioner. Former Commissioner, Henry Greene was willing to let his subordinates know they will feel the heat if they refuse his orders. Greene victimized countless good officers because they disagreed with him. If you are a private citizen, despite your influence or wealth, if you get the Commissioner of Police angry in any county, you may need to tread carefully.
In Guyana, the Commissioner of Police had laid down an edict in 2014. It was disobeyed and that sordid state of affairs continues up to this day. In the March 22, 2015 edition of the Stabroek News, the Commissioner is quoted as saying; “We are trying to prevent what is referred to as harassment – these routine traffic stops… ranks are instructed, do not make a traffic stop unless they would have seen an offence being committed … so no more routine stops for traffic.”
Since that news item appeared in the papers with the Commissioner’s photograph in March 2015, I have seen countless instances of routine traffic stops and as recent as two weeks ago outside the Brickdam Police Station
In a column titled, “The Police and Lisa Smith on North Road,” (January 10, 2016), I described routine police stops. That column was written almost a year after the Commissioner’s edict. In that article I named the police ranks and their dismissal of the Commissioner’s statement which I showed them. In another column of January 22, titled, “The Traffic Chief gave his word; I will hold him to it,” I quoted the Traffic Chief as saying he would issue a countrywide alert to all senior officers throughout Guyana to order all traffic ranks to cease random stops.
Obviously, both the Commissioner and the Traffic Chief were ignored because I wrote yet another column on what I saw. Captioned “The President should tell the police force to behave,” I described the random stops I saw the ranks doing on the Railway Embankment. This article was dated February 26, 2016. I named the ranks and quoted their contemptuous disregard for the Commissioner’s March 2015 stop order. In May 2016, the letter pages of this newspaper carried several complaints of routine police stops including an angry woman who claimed she was ordered to pull over twice in the space of a ten mile radius
Well it looks like the Commissioner had enough of the contempt he has been receiving from his ranks. On Thursday evening, an officer from the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) came to Kaieteur News with a copy of one of my columns on random stops. Adam Harris, the editor asked me to dialogue with the policeman. My initial reaction was he was at Kaieteur News with his request. He said the Commissioner wants to investigate complaints against traffic cops who do routine stops.
I then inquired why he wants to see Lisa Smith and not me. He said Smith was victim of a routine stop not me. I told him I cannot locate my notes on the Smith incident but he can contact Smith’s lawyer, Patrice Henry. Adam Harris gave him Henry’s cell number
The next day, I called Mr. Heeralall Mackenlall, Head of OPR for more details. He said he will get back to me. I contacted Patrice Henry and he said Superintendent Wright made contact with him to assist in locating Smith. Superintendent Wright told me that the Commissioner has ordered an investigation into the random stops; they would like Smith to give a statement. I volunteered a statement to Mr. Wright but he declined it saying that I wasn’t stopped; I am not a victim. The OPR wants to hear from drivers who were stopped
Don’t be fooled by the Commissioner or the ORP. The investigation has begun seven months after I wrote about what happened to Lisa Smith because a close relative of the President, the Prime Minister, a Cabinet Minister, a well placed foreign diplomat or a very powerfully influential person like the Commissioner himself or the Army Chief was ordered to pull over at random and the experience was humiliating. I make no apologies for this attitude because I believe this is what happened. The State only acts when a big State official is offended.
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2 thoughts on “My opinion on the motive of the Commissioner of Police”
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One of Freddie’s poorest articles.
The end was so abrupt that I wondered if the full manuscript was submitted.
Freddie yuh right again … all kinda stupidness does happen in Guyana and the only time things change is when it affects one of the big shots .. but then again … this is Guyana .. wha come suh do .. first it was the helmet law .. everybody know who does ride motorbike around Georgetown without helmet an don get stop .. then the seat belt law .. then the window tint law .. now this … like they say .. Guyana deh pun stupidness and dem an k … Guyana is one big joke !!