Police ranks, civilian to be charged for role in driver’s exam scam

Jul 21, 2018 News

A police sergeant, two corporals and a civilian are to appear in court soon on multiple charges connected to the massive driver’s licence examination scam that was unearthed last April.
A release from the Police Public Relations Department stated that legal advice has been obtained and three Subordinate Officers and a civilian will appear in court in relation to the uncovering of “seemingly massive irregularities” in the Guyana Police Force learner Driver Theoretical Examinations.
The examinations were held on Thursday April 12, 2018 at the Felix Austin Police College, Georgetown.
According to the release, a police sergeant will be charged with 12 counts of having conspired with others to commit a misdemeanour, while a female corporal and a male corporal will be charged with 18 counts and 20 counts respectively for the same offence. The Charge is laid under Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act Chapter 8:01.
The Civilian will be charged with two counts of obtaining money by false pretence.
The ranks were all seconded to the Traffic Headquarters, Eve Leary when the offences were committed. They were transferred to the Canine Section and other locations while the probe spearheaded by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) was in progress.
The investigation was launched after the Guyana Police Force Chaplain informed Commissioner of Police (ag) David Ramnarine that at the conclusion of the examination, other pastors who invigilated the examination reported the following:
One hundred and seventy four (174) persons were registered to write the examination but 106 persons presented themselves on the day in question.
However, 207 scripts were received at the conclusion of the examination, and 155 of the 207 scripts were completed.”
The charges against the ranks come just a few days after Commissioner Ramnarine noted that for the first half of this year, there was a 50 percent decrease in complaints against police ranks, with 149 complaints as against 280 for the same period last year. The Force has been attempting to stamp out fraud in the learner/ driver theory and practical examinations.
The Commissioner asserted that in September 2016, in the wake of numerous complaints, the Force decided to have the Cops and Faith Community Network (CFCN) involved in the examination process for potential drivers.
”They (CFCN) were first involved in the theoretical examination (the invigilating and supervision of the examination).
“When that system was first introduced, there was some resistance at first, but then it settled down,” Ramnarine had said back in April.
He pointed out that before the CFCN got on board, there was a 70 and 80 percent pass rates from the theory examination.
After the CFCN got involved, that pass rate dropped to 45 and 50 percent, which justified the complaints the Force was receiving.
“It became a very real and encouraging sign. Now we moved it a stage further with the CFCN marking the exam paper under police supervision in a police environment, so persons who used to feel that they will have somebody go there and write the exam or someone to fix them up – all that is through the window,” the Commissioner (ag) had said.
Kaieteur News was told that persons are now buying their learner’s package, studying the booklets and attending classes.
Over the years, there have been reports of persons purchasing their Letter of Competence from corrupt police ranks, as opposed to buying their package and going through the right process.
A Letter of Competence is issued by the police when a person successfully completes the practical part of the driver’s examination.
Once issued, the letter is taken to the Guyana Revenue Authority where the person pays a fee and gets a driver’s licence.
It is said that a letter of competence can cost someone as much as $90,000.”

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Police ranks, civilian to be charged for role in driver’s exam scam

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