GPF to implement better systems to guard against staff overpayments

Mar 12, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force came under the scrutiny of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday for issues of overpayments to staffers as outlined in 2017 and 2018 Auditor General’s report.
In representing the Guyana Police Force before the PAC, Senior Superintendent of Police, Calvin Brutus, told the Committee that some of the staffers still cannot be located and this was due to slothful communication.
He explained, “These overpayments occurred because of the pace at which the information was received at the head office to effect those adjustments. What we’ve done so far is some members that joined the Force have given consent to have monies deducted from their current salaries on a monthly basis.”
Brutus added, “We have written letters to former members who were overpaid informing them of the amount they were overpaid and requested that they make good on repaying those monies within a specified time. Some letters were served; some we could not locate them.”
According to the officer, the GPF records reflected that from seven officers being overpaid in 2017, 88 were overpaid in 2018.
Brutus said the Force is making efforts to recover those monies and reduce the occurrence on such an alarming scale.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, Mae Thomas, has been engaged for further action in relation to those officers who could not be reached via letters. The Committee was also informed that mechanisms were activated to prevent a recurrence.
“We have also reiterated to the Commanders and Heads of Departments that they enforce the policy of having those reports coming within 72-hour period and also informing us in an informal way by way of a cell phone.”
In 2021, the Committee had examined the Auditor General’s 2016 findings on the Ministry of Public Security, which noted that the GPF was still to recover some $2.264 million in salaries that were overpaid to employees of the Force between 2010 and 2012.

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