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Parliamentary petition on policing gathers strong support
Dear Editor,
The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is heartened by the outpouring of support for its petition to Parliament calling for “an immediate, independent and thorough investigation into the operations, conduct, and leadership of the Guyana Police Force, to be conducted by a credible and impartial international organization.”
The Petition attracted 195 actual signatures. It also gained considerable traction on social media. Social media posts reached over 68,000 people through Facebook, with slightly over 8,000 people engaging, through a combination of ‘likes’, ‘comments’ or ‘shares’. GHRA extends sincere thanks to all who took the trouble to convert their indignation into action.
This collective action illustrates how petitions can help cooperative action between civil society and parliamentarians, offering an alternative path forward amidst the racial and political polarization that characterizes public life in Guyana. It also underscores the positive potential of social media, often dismissed as a space for divisive commentary.
While the petition was prompted by the scandalous mishandling of the investigation into Adrianna Younge’s death, its scope addresses a wider pattern of misconduct: repeated scandals involving money laundering, illegal asset acquisition, corrupt procurement practices, politically driven promotions, narcotics disappearance, and chronic weaknesses stemming from internal control failures.
A particularly disturbing development under the current administration is the steady privatization of policing. Private security firms are increasingly acting beyond their legal remit. Sheriff Security, in particular, has involved itself in high-profile government disputes, including recent unrest surrounding Adrianna Younge’s autopsy. Witnesses reported police officers accompanying a Sheriff vehicle and seemingly taking instructions from its armed personnel.
Private firms are now operating at mining sites and interfering in licencing disputes, further blurring the lines between state and private authority. This growing influence is especially troubling given the allegations surrounding the family behind Sheriff Security—including a housing scandal involving a senior Ministry of Housing official, and prior charges related to gold smuggling through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Notably, the same family maintains a strong presence on the pro-government social media outlet “Guyana Daily News.”
Beyond these recent defects, the rot runs deep. The Guyana Police Force, born from the colonial-era “Guyana Militia,” has never fully evolved into a modern civilian policing institution. It remains overly centralized, bloated in rank structure, lacking in career development opportunities, repressive of unrest rather than protection of citizens and disconnected from the communities it serves.
Regards
Executive Committee
Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA)
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