Make Guyana safe again…Appoint proper Top Cop, fix OPR, says Ramkarran

Mar 05, 2018 News

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“Whilst the Government continues to appoint persons in their eighties to constitutional offices, the position of Chair of the Police Complaints Authority has been vacant for about a year since former Chairman was asked to retire because he was in his eighties”. – Ramkarran

The police force needs to rebuild its relationship with the public. It is hoped that whoever takes over next as top cop recognizes the importance of having the public on board in efforts to promote a safe Guyana.
That, in a nutshell, is essentially what veteran politician, Ralph Ramkarran said in his most recent column published on his website. Follow this link to read full column: http://conversationtree.gy/the-police-and-the-public/#more-1642.
Ramkarran said that a fit and proper top cop will soon see that there are a few key things that need to be addressed before Guyana can be made safe again. These things, according to the politician, would include efforts that need to be made to build public trust and cooperation.
Ramkarran said that without the cooperation of the public which provides information and intelligence, the capacity of the Police to solve crime would be severely diminished.
While most are focused on the wrongs allegedly committed by former top cop, Seelall Persaud, especially the fact that he attempted to grant himself gun dealership license, Ramkarran pointed to one of his successes.
Ramkarran said public cooperation was significantly enhanced during the Persaud’s tenure.
He said that the cooperation saw a heightened crime solving effort by the Police. Ramkarran noted too that that relationship and related crime solving efforts “deteriorated as soon as the Police came under public attack at the recent inquiry and the negative consequences of that inquiry.”

The veteran politician said that he hopes that under new leadership the Police will revive its effort at good community relations which is recognized all around the world as vital to crime-solving.
Ramkarran said that it is also hoped that the new Commissioner of Police will understand that good relations with the community depends on fair and balanced investigation of complaints by members of the public against the Police.
There are two bodies which are linked to such investigations: the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Police Complaints Authority. Ramkarran said that the jurisdictions and mandates of these two bodies are not clearly delineated in the public mind.
He said that his own experience with the Office of Professional Responsibility is that it exists solely for the purpose of protecting and defending the Police. “I have made a complaint and I have encouraged others who have had outrageous experiences with the Police to complain. The results have been on every occasion a complete whitewashing of the behaviour of the Police.”
Further, Ramkarran noted that recently, a young lady complained that she was made to completely undress during a drug search and her body was allegedly invaded by Police at the Correia International Airport.
The politician said that the young lady’s complaint was credible “including the request that she cough, before the intrusion. The complainant, a 17-year old, can hardly make that up. The ruling of the Office of Professional Responsibility, to which the matter has been referred, can be predicted from now. It will completely exonerate the Police, and so long from now that the matter would have receded in the public consciousness.”
Ramkarran said that if the new Commissioner of Police believes that public support for the Police is necessary for it to continue to enhance its ability to solve crime, he or she would act urgently to make the bodies, designated to investigate complaints against police, become more credible and transparent by having known rules, by being outside the control of the Police and by including members of the public.
Further, Ramkarran said that government has its part to play. He noted, “Whilst the Government continues to appoint persons in their eighties to constitutional offices, the position of Chair of the Police Complaints Authority has been vacant for about a year since the former Chairman was asked to retire because he was in his eighties.”
That person who was asked to retire is former Chancellor, Cecil Kennard.
Ramkarran said that throughout his term as Chairman Kennard complained of lack of investigative capacity, under resourcing and dilatoriness of the Police in responding to him.
“There appeared to have been some modest improvement before he was retired. It is hoped, firstly, that a person as credible and reputable as the former Chancellor, Mr. Cecil Kennard, will be appointed to fill the vacant post as soon as possible,” said Ramkarran.
The politician said too that he hoped the office will be fully resourced in financial, material and personnel terms (selected by the Chair) to enable it to carry out its functions in a timely manner.
He said that as far as the cooperation of the Police goes, in the absence of statutory sanctions, which should be considered by the government, the new Commissioner will need to implement administrative sanctions where cooperation with the Police Complaints Authority is not treated as a priority by his officers.
Ramkarran did not shy away from accepting that public confidence in the Police is always a challenge. He noted that it took several years for the Police to clamp down on carjackers and implied that lack of public support was one of the reasons the police took so long to clamp down.
Ramkarran said “a similar situation currently exists, and has existed for many years, in relation to armed robberies generally and the robberies of persons who withdraw monies from banks. In the latter case, these persons, like overseas visitors, are followed to their homes or business places and robbed and sometimes shot, on occasion fatally. The public is awaiting a solution to this old and growing problem by a similar dismantling of the gang or gangs involved. Maybe one issue is the lack of intelligence from the public. If so, the Police would do well to consider its relations with the public and the implementation of measures to improve those relations.” (Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell)

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