DRAMATIC
CHANGE: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bharrat Jagdeo
inspects the Guard of Honour prior to the formal opening of the annual Police
Officers’ Conference at Eve Leary yesterday.
He noted
that this success, which came on the heels of the spiralling crime wave that
plagued Guyana during the period 2002 to 2005 and which continued last year, was
due to partnership and professionalism between the Police Force and the Army,
along with public support in the provision of confidential and useful
information.
“Last
year was a year of serious challenges but I think we rose to the challenge
because of two significant words – partnership and professionalism,” he said
at the opening of the annual three-day Police Officers’ Conference at Eve
Leary, Georgetown yesterday.
“We
worked hand in hand with the Joint Services to ensure that we could maintain law
and order in this land, against all the negative views, both locally and
abroad,” he said, adding that every effort must be made to maintain that
partnership and to ensure that it continues to be done in a professional manner.
President
Bharrat Jagdeo, in his feature address at the conference, lauded the Joint
Services for what he described as a “job well done” over the past several
months with regards to the maintenance of law and order and battling the crime
and drug scourge that was plaguing and eating away at the very fabric of the
Guyanese society. .
“I speak
to you here with a sense of optimism that over the past several months, because
of the efforts of the police and the army, there is a growing sense of security
in our nation,” the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces told those gathered
at the conference.
On this
note, the President commended both Greene and Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana
Defence Force (GDF) Brigadier General Edward Collins (who
was seated in the audience)
for jobs well done in leading their respective organizations, and in their
collaborative Joint Services efforts at battling lawlessness and crime in the
country and maintaining peace and stability.
“The
nation owes the Joint Services a debt of gratitude for the work that they did,
especially around the elections time.”
“We
entered into the elections period with a sense of misgivings and fear in many
quarters that the cycle of violence around elections - that this country has
grown accustomed to - would once again take place…”
He said
this was because of many reasons, “but most importantly for me, it was the
preparation done by the Joint Services and their presence in the streets which
was a significant deterrent to anyone who may have had in their minds, the
breaking of the laws of our country.”
Mr. Jagdeo
noted that many times people speak about the recent elections, but do not give
true recognition of the role the Joint Services played in successfully
maintaining law and order and peace.
“We also
broke tradition and had the army on the streets on elections day…and everyone
was pleased with the performance of the Joint Services to take us through that
period in the manner they did.”
“I am
very pleased with your hard work. I have seen a dramatic change in the way the
police have been operating. I see more energy within the Police Force and I want
all of you to be infected with that enthusiasm,” the President lauded.
“We must
take the same enthusiasm and the zeal for reforms back into the communities and
the areas that you manage as we create a more modern and relevant Police
Force.”
Mr. Jagdeo
noted that there was some unease in many quarters on hearing that reforms will
be taking place in the Police Force with persons wondering and speculating as to
what roles they will be playing in those reforms.
He,
however, assured that these reforms will be led by indigenous authorities
(consultants) and the leadership of the Police Force.
He also
warned that there will be many consultants coming here to help but not all will
be useful since some of them will be useless.
“I am
very pleased with the pace of the reforms but there is much, much, more work
that still needs to be done if we are going to achieve the desired results”,
he said.
Greene
said, “Last year we reduced crime by seven per cent and I don’t want to tell
you the figures right now but for this year I want to feel that crime is
significantly down…but I don’t want to make too much noise about that.”
“…but
we are maintaining a posture in the Joint Services aimed at ensuring that those
out there who want to be unlawful will be met with the full force of the law,”
Greene warned.
Greene
noted that despite the challenges, the Joint Services – through hard work,
dedication and commitment - ensured that successes were achieved in stemming the
crime wave and bringing things under control.
He
recalled that some of the “serious challenges” the force was confronted with
last year were the brutal killings of a number of persons, especially in and
around the Agricola, East Bank Demerara area, the
slaying of Agriculture
Minister Satyadeow Sawh and his siblings, the missing AK-47s from the army
storage bond, the interdiction of (suspected) drug lords such as Roger Khan, and
the scandals surrounding the purported taped conversations of former Police
Commissioner Winston Felix.
He also
noted the high-profile bank robbery in Berbice last year where, for the first
time in Guyana, two banks were raided at one time; and the general and regional
elections in August.
“I think
we have managed to discharge our stewardship to some extent and while there is
still a lot more work to be done, success can be achieved with the continued
partnership and professionalism (by the Joint Services),” Greene said.
He also
thanked President Jagdeo for advocating all efforts at modernizing, training and
equipping the force. “We know that once we have your support we will make
serious headway,” he told the President.
He assured
the President that the Police Force continues to remain steadfast in carrying
out its mandate to serve and protect, and fighting crime and traffic lawlessness
as is necessary to maintain peace and harmony.
President
Jagdeo also promised that before the three-day conference is over, he would
return to speak to the officers and ranks again. The annual Police Officers’
Conference is being held at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary under the
theme – ‘Enhancing community safety and security through partnership,
professionalism and reform’.
Among
those at the opening were Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger
Luncheon, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl
Singh, Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority and former Chancellor Mr.
Cecil Kennard, former Police Commissioners Balram Raghubir, Laurie Lewis and
Floyd McDonald, and senior functionaries from the public service and private
sector.
Most of those on that wanted list were members of a feared gang with links in
Agricola, including its then reputed leader Rondell Rawlins, widely known as `Fineman’,
of Titus Street, Agricola and Buxton.
Friday, February 09, 2007