Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
‘If you bribe a cop, you’re part of the problem’-Pres. Ali tells police conference
Kaieteur News- Amid reports of rampant corruption within the Guyana Police Force with allegations that senior officers are in the pockets of bug businessmen, President Irfaan Ali told a conference on Wednesday that if a person engages in the bribing of an officer, they too are part of the problem.
President Irfaan Ali
He was at the time speaking on the integrity of the Force and its function to uphold the law. A recent report by Transparency International stated that the state of Guyana had been captured by the economic and political elites here, fostering misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment and environmental crimes. The body also stated that Guyana has lost ground in the fight against corruption moving from 40 points last year to 39 this year, ranking it 92 out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perception Index. “In Guyana, state capture by economic and political elites fosters misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment and an environmental crime,” the Transparency International report said. It added: “Although the country has created anti-corruption institutions and laws, transparency and law enforcement are very low, and attacks on dissenting voices, activists and journalists increasingly common,” the body stated in its report.
Back in March 2024, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) had released its findings on Guyana, expressing concerns over the nation’s institutional framework to combat corruption. The report acknowledged Guyana’s adoption of laws and regulations to tackle corruption, including the establishment of a Special Organized Crime Unit (S.O.C.U) within the Guyana Police Force (GPF). However, it highlights lingering concerns regarding the effectiveness of the institutional setup to prevent and prosecute corruption, particularly within the police force and among high-level public officials. Specific concerns outlined in the report include instances where the Commissioner of Information failed to address public requests and the delayed enforcement of the Protected Disclosures and Witness Protection Act.
Meanwhile, in his to the police officers’ conference President Ali said that in building out the Police Force, there must be shared accountability and partnership. He explained: “shared accountability is where every single citizen must understand that they have a role in building a strong Police Force, in building a professional Police Force, in building a responsible Police Force, in building a Police Force with high integrity, every single citizen, every single citizen must play a role. If you try to bribe an officer, you are part of the problem. If you try to bribe a traffic officer, you are part of the problem.”
In this regard, he said it should be understood that educating the public about their responsibility in crime fighting and their decency as a law-abiding citizen is important.
The Guyanese leader told the police officers that if they are responding to 500 complaints related to noise nuisance, the ranks of the Force will not be able to respond to serious crimes, thus rendering them ineffective. However, there are laws governing the country that citizens must respect, adhere to, and honour. “Shared accountability is about our individual and collective responsibility in building a stronger society, a safer society, a better society, and all of us must understand that we have a shared responsibility in this regard,” President underscored. He said to actualise this shared responsibility, it must be ensured “that the environment that fosters the culture of impunity, where wrongdoing is normalised and justice appears elusive is disbanded because that is what rocks the foundational pillars of justice, security and freedom.” He said it is a prevalent issue affecting many societies and countries both regionally and internationally and it must be addressed.
(‘If you bribe a cop, you’re part of the problem’-Pres. Ali tells police conference)
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