Community News
Ex-Police Associations of America and Canada concerned about the Guyana Police Force
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
Guyana Ex-Police Association of America (GEPAOA) and the Guyana Ex-Police Association of Canada (GEPAC) are closely following the events surrounding the Guyana Police Force (GPF), as it relates to their once credible organization.
Both organizations are citing what they called an outright aim, by a few to tarnish the good name of the GPF for their own personal gains at whatever cost.
According to both ex-police associations this all started with the May 10th, 2021 elections of the Police Association when the legitimately elected executive was booted out of office before its term was served and another one was installed to take its place.
It should be noted that the Police Association plays an extremely important role in the appointment process of the Chairman and members of the Police Service Commission (PSC).
A senior member of the Police Force, who was denied promotion by the said Commission, is alleged to have played a big role in the removal of the legitimate Police Association.
To add insult to injury, and to compound the already tense atmosphere in the GPF, and also just prior to the ruling of the learned Chief Justice on the Officers’ promotion issue, the Chairman of the PSC, one of its members, along with several current and former senior officers were forcefully bought before the courts.
Both associations said, “While we will not delve into the legitimacy of those charges and allow the courts to do its work. We again stress on the timing of these charges, which are being manifested to stymie the work of the PSC. We also wish to remind those in authority that one of the main tenets of our justice system is that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
The Guyana Ex-Police Association of America (GEPAOA) and the Guyana Ex-Police Association of Canada (GEPAC) joined with the Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Associations (CFPWA) in refusing to recognize Guyana ’s “newly- selected” Police Association, because the “legitimately elected” executive was removed from office.
This conduct by those responsible for calling the elections of the Police Association is also reprehensible and should also be immediately addressed.
The motto of the GPF is service and protection, but the GEPAOA and GEPAC recognize an approaching crisis that unnerves and causes them to worry about the future of this noble profession in the beautiful land of Guyana.
“We are also mindful of the repercussions these recent developments have on the morale of current members of the GPF,” they said.