GPA expresses dissatisfaction on two-day crime story blackout

May 19, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir, in a press release on Monday, expressed her dissatisfaction with the lack of effort that was given to respond to journalists by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) as it pertains to crime stories. This comes after a two-day blackout of reports and information of said stories.

GPA President, Nazima Raghubir

According to the release, Ms. Raghubir would have first apologised to Stan Gouveia, GPF’s Public Relations Officer, for the late acknowledgement and reply to a correspondence seeking to involve the GPA in a GPF training session. She stated that it would be inappropriate to participate in this training at this point following the Force’s recently enforced media blackout on crime-related information, without any reasonable or acceptable explanation in the first instance. She added that the media does not operate in a vacuum and that media representatives are here to inform and educate the public.
Further, Raghubir mentioned that the GPA supports media workers in their duties by ensuring that the various ethics and guidelines are followed in executing that duty and that it is also in support of any agency and its quest to bring awareness to issues as well as training.
The release later went on to state that the GPF, as a primary custodian of crime related information, has to understand its role. The recent two-day blackout of crime related information was a slap in the face to the public at large, Raghubir stated, adding that, to date, the GPF has refused to even acknowledge the queries of the GPA and journalists in general on this and to break its silence.
The GPA President’s release took the opportunity to register her “utter disgust” at the GPF’s “contemptuous posture” towards the media by often refusing to respond to questions and clarifications arising from press releases. She noted that a glaring case in point of the blackout concerned a policeman’s recent shooting of a robbery suspect in a car; she stated that operatives in the Force know how to make contact and have used the very media when they want to plant information and or use the media to get the public on its side.
She stated that the communication process cannot be one-way or conveniently two-way and that disappointment is also registered to the Police Commissioner, Mr. Nigel Hoppie. Raghubir further mentioned that it is most unfortunate that the Guyana Police Force has decided to cease the decades-old practice of releasing the names of victims of crimes, which evidently diminishes the credibility of news releases.
Lastly, the President of the GPA noted that until and unless the GPA is satisfied that the Police Force, its agents and servants are responsive and transparent to its concerns as it seeks to better serve the public, it will not be aiding and abetting any process by making available its expertise for the sake of being a veneer that the law enforcement agency is transparent.