Georgetown : In-action or unsatisfactory action on the part of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) could be reason enough for members of the public to lodge complaints with the Police Complaint Authority or the Office of Professional Responsibility; both bodies are tasked with addressing the professional conduct of police officers.
This is according to Superintendent of Police, Maxine Graham, who revealed that it was recently at the Police Force’s Officers Conference that the topic of poor investigation by officers was highlighted. As a result it was recommended that more training for officers be undertaken in this regard, Graham said. This move, she speculated, will enable the force to yield better and more favourable results when conducting investigations.
There have been several instances whereby persons have claimed that they had made reports for various reasons to police stations but upon checking no such report was lodged by the relevant stations. According to Superintendent Graham “I do not deny that some people make reports and then later on those reports cannot be found…” She noted though that some such instances could occur when persons make reports over the phone even as she amplified her belief that different people could deal with matters differently. However, she noted that when persons opt to make a report in person to a station they are in a better position to observe the very visible officer’s name tag. “If the victim (or the person making a report) is not comfortable they could lodge a complaint with the Complaints Authorities,” Graham said.
She alluded to the fact that within every organization in this country there are “dos and don’ts and there are a lot of ifs and buts” even as she noted that each person attached to the various organizations is expected to know the right and decent thing to do. As such, she noted that “if they have failed to fulfill their mandate disciplinary action should be taken.”
Graham explained that in addressing sexual offences matter for instance even before an arrest is made a police officer is expected to take a statement and ensure that the victim is sent to seek medical attention.
However, since such matters are addressed with considerable care, Graham said that before any further action is taken the file relating to the matter must first be prepared and sent to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecution for guidance. According to the Superintendent there are certain procedures that must be followed before an individual accused of committing such a crime can be charged and tried.
The Force, she explained, has recently been able to put in place a special unit to deal with sexual offences. However, she noted that “we have completed a lot of these cases in the Magistrates’ Court and they are now awaiting trial in the High Court…”
This has however not prevented persons from voicing their concerns that the police force’s style of dealing with such matters is not very timely and victim friendly.
Graham’s disclosure was forthcoming even as she addressed shortcomings that were highlighted in some victims’ pursuit of justice during a recent Women and Gender Equality forum.
During her presentation she also made reference to the fact that like the sexual offence matters the Force has had its hands filled with dealing with its Juvenile Department which is housed at the Criminal Investigation Department at Eve Leary. The Department, which is headed by Superintendent Yvette Sanko, is tasked with dealing specifically with juveniles and according to Graham “what I am happy about is that this section is linked with the Ministry of Human Services and the Child Protection Agency.” This allows for the Police to be informed of various juvenile matters reaching these agencies even if they were not reported directly to a police station. Even cases that emanate from the interior are forwarded to the Force in like manner, Graham said. “I have found that over the years things have improved with the different Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as Help and Shelter and we are seeing things happening for us,” Graham added.
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