Supt. McBean’s expertise will be an asset to the GPF

Jul 02, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

As Carla Mendonca said in her letter of June 29, in the Guyana Chronicle captioned, “No righting of wrong through the dangerous jaundiced eyes of ethnicity” – “It has to be the first time in the known history of the very senior echelons of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), that so senior a rank as a deputy commissioner of police has been sent on leave…”
This pertained to Crime Chief, Lyndon Alves, now being investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
In the same vein, but for completely different reasons, I have never known of a police rank, of any level, being re-instated after being dismissed for so long a period of ten years; a decision that then Superintendent of Police, Simon McBean, decided to challenge, and which he had overturned, won by way of Appeal Court decision, then for the Police Service Commission to formally reinstate him at his last substantive level.
Editor, it is my honest opinion that Superintendent McBean had been the victim of a well-known tradition of GPF grudge culture, especially taken against young policemen who were ambitious enough for wanting to improve and further their academic worth, for advancement in the GPF. And it is their right to do so, since such an added attribute weighs very strongly when considering a policeman’s upward mobility.
As an aside, but relevant to the thrust, I do recall, two cases of two very bright young corporals who, in the 1980s, had dreams of careers in law, only to be shot down, each time they requested permission to attend the University of Guyana. They were told afterwards, that only the very senior personnel had been entitled to such a privilege.
This is quite the opposite to what now exists, since 2015, with the coalition government. Under this administration, policemen from all ranks have been attending the University of Guyana, which last graduation of 2018, reported a batch of 29 policemen/women, inclusive of a few seniors, graduating with first and second degrees, and diplomas in fields that included banking, social work, and public management.
It was a first for the GPF, and it underlined the government’s commitment to not only a professional police organization, but a wise recognition that the latter ethic is best achieved by improved academic learning for ranks, apart from the fact that such enables a better equipped police force for combatting today’s sophisticated crime.
There was no doubt that at that material time, the era when academic furtherance for policemen/women was never a consideration, much less a priority for the PPP/C regime, there were orchestrated steps to frustrate and deny McBean’s efforts to pursue his post-graduate study. For even if he had been denied his application for study leave, why also veto his request for no pay leave, which would have had no cost on the Force’s payroll, with respect to an officer who was not going to be on active duty. It reeks of that good ole’, well-known bad mindedness.
The fact that officer McBean has decided to return to Guyana, in deference to being where he would have sojourned, underlines his belief and faith in the ongoing efforts to improve and renew the entire professional ethic of the GPF, inclusive of its administrative culture, taking place under the aegis of the coalition government.
I have never personally met Mr. McBean, nor am I an acquaintance. However, I applaud his determination for self-improvement, and his commitment to his country. At this time, the GPF needs officers of his outlook and dedication. It can only gain from his acquired expertise, so much needed at this time, for combatting the type of modern crime challenges which would have taken root during the former PPP/C administration.
Regards
Earl Hamilton

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