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Policing in a multi-cultural society, distrust high in segments, diversification necessary

Nov 26, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – The recent letter by retired Assistant Commissioner, Clinton Conway, was very revealing and insightful.
Focusing specifically on the opportunities for policing in a multi-cultural society and the importance of being sensitive to the differences in the cultures in our society, the problematic becomes very complex. The difficulty is further amplified by the historical political climate and growing mistrust between the two main cultural components of our complex society. Currently, the GPF is dominated by African Guyanese and the Indian communities have a healthy level of mistrust for the police. On the other hand, the African communities are more trusting and when they interact with the police, they see a member of their community, who is approachable, and can be confided in, and trusted to do right by them.
As for the Indian populace, feelings for the police are not the same and instead of seeing someone who is trustworthy, the Indian community sees a PNC opposition member, who will not do right by them, especially in a situation where the suspect is African Guyanese.
If on the rare occasion the police officer is from the Indian community, then the expectation is that the officer will help and can be trusted to deal fairly with members of the Indian community.
Unfortunately, this sentiment is rooted in the incidents that occurred during the massacre of Indians in the 1960’s by the African Community in what is now known as Linden. According to numerous accounts of the events, many of these atrocities were allegedly carried out with the help of some members of the Guyana Police Force. Thus, the obstacles before us towards improving the image of the GPF are that significant, and the difficulty of overcoming our history of conflict is quite substantial. The first step to reconciliation is the removal of denial. We must as a Nation, begin our journey on the path towards acknowledgment of the horrific events that took place during the 1960’s. No longer can we afford to turn a blind eye to the deep seated mistrust between our communities.
Diversification of the GPF is necessary and must also occur when policing a multicultural society, such as ours. Members of our diverse communities must see those from their culture in their communities engaged in constructive policing, where the focus is to protect and serve fellow members of their communities. This is a key step towards encouraging a national culture, where the police are respected and trusted to help safeguard our citizens. Such increased cultural sensitivity within the Force will help make our land of six people adhere more uniformly to our laws, and will also help guide the Force towards less perceived and real bias in how citizens are treated by the police. Officers will also benefit from the increased diversity within the GPF, and begin to better understand and respect the cultural differences of the diverse communities within our society. As mentioned previously, the way forward is not the easiest, but it is becoming more necessary as cultural realization continues within our multiplex of communities and the divide between our cultures increases.

Best regards,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

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