31 cops kicked out of Force, charged in 2017

Jan 06, 2018 News

Thirty-one members of the Guyana Police Force were dismissed and placed before the courts for various offences last year. In contrast, 26 ranks were dismissed in 2016.

Acting Commissioner of Police made this disclosure yesterday.

Commending the Office of Professional Responsibility for its work “in preserving and protecting the moral fabric of the Force,” the acting Top Cop told reporters that there was a five percent increase in complaints against police ranks in 2017, with 644 such complaints last year, as against 609 in 2016. He said that 78 percent of these investigations have been completed.

Of these infractions by ranks, eight resulted in criminal charges, 187 in departmental charges; 49 were unsubstantiated, and 48 ranks were warned.

Ramnarine suggested that the increase in complaints was largely due to the fact that members of the public felt “more confident and comfortable” to report infractions.

For the year, there have been at least three complaints against policemen. Two police constables are at present under close arrest for the alleged rape of a woman at the Turkeyen Police Station.

At present, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Motie Dookie, who had headed the police SWAT Unit, is under investigation after 30 cases of smuggled Johnny Walker whisky were seized from a minibus in which he was travelling on December 31 at Whim, Corentyne. He was placed under close arrest.

“It’s distressing that you put so much training into a rank…you give them a state uniform, they did well in training school, and then, for some silly reason, they do something so outrageous, to tarnish the image of a noble institution like the Guyana Police Force,” Ramnarine said.

Commenting on the investigation surrounding Dookie, the Acting Commissioner said he received over a dozen calls “from supposedly right thinking people as to when the man will be released, and ‘why y’all don’t give the man a break…”

“That’s the sort of society we have. On the one hand, they want to see a professional police force, they want the police force to deliver a higher quality of service, but at the same time they are indifferent to gross wrongdoing.”

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING COPS

Ramnarine also revealed that there were 23 accidents in 2017 involving vehicles either owned or driven by members of the Force. Four resulted in deaths.

He also confirmed that two police ranks who had damaged brand-new police vehicles are paying for the repairs.

“Apart from paying, there are departmental charges. Both ranks have been removed from their divisions,” Ramnarine said.

In this case, you pay, you are being transferred, so it’s not just that ‘you’re wild, you crash the vehicle and you will get some friend to pay for the vehicle.’ It’s a whole host of things that will happen (to you) and we will keep it that way.”

In one of the cases, a ‘B’ Division, Berbice rank crashed one of the vehicles that the Government of China had donated to the Guyana government. The crash occurred one day after the vehicles were handed over to the police.

The rank was charged with dangerous driving. He was also transferred to ‘A’ Division.