Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 22, 2014 News
“Who are you hiring? What does the psychological test say on this personality that you are putting in charge of people? I don’t think there’s a psychological aspect when you are going to be hired as a police, or we wouldn’t have so many misfits or rogue police.”- Dr. Harding
By Leon Suseran
The police should intensely be trained in the psychology of people’s minds. This is the view of Psychotherapist and veteran mental health practitioner, Dr. Faith Harding. Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, she related that the police in Guyana should be equipped with an all- round knowledge of people, particularly young men, like what it means to be a teenager and the developmental psyche of people.
Over recent times, several incidents of police brutality and abuse of police power have been made against members of the Force.
In 2009, a teen’s genitals were badly burned by rogue police officers. Earlier this year, two police ranks were accused of setting the hands of Junior Thornton on fire.
But Dr. Harding questioned what kind of psychological tests are done on the police officers before they come in to look at a personality profile. “Who are you hiring? What does the psychological test say on this personality that you are putting in charge of people? I don’t think there’s a psychological aspect when you are going to be hired as a police, or we wouldn’t have so many misfits or rogue police.”
Dr. Harding believes that when young men and women are hired from very depressed communities around the country, they bring attitudes and behaviours with them, and therefore the programmes have to be geared to lift their moral abilities and accountability.
Additionally, the expert opined that the police would do well with training on how to deal with domestic violence and with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and they need a commitment to those communities to help them to be accepted. Police also need a commitment to help women and children who are victims of serious domestic violence crimes.
She expressed satisfaction that the new Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud, has started community work which, “has not taken place in a long time.” “We had that kind of community interaction in the 70’s and 80’s, but for some reason, it had halted and now that he has taken that on, I’d say much still needs to be done,” she added.
“When you are going to have a 17- year- old tell me that he has chosen the life of a gangster, he’s started it when he was nine years of age and that is frightening.” She questioned, when faced with that individual, how would the police understand what the child went through. “Do the police understand that at nine years of age that child would have been facing domestic violence between his parents and at nine, he started drinking alcohol and hanging out with the guys smoking dope, at 15,16,17 [years]?”
The cycle of violence would fester in that individual and then he commits a crime and then the police throw him into jail, “and when he serves his time for whatever crime…what happens after that; who is helping this child to become a model for the society?” she questioned.
She posited that what the police might do is run to him with a gun whenever they see him again or beat him up, “or we’ve seen where the police have put a gun in the child’s mouth, or they burn [him] from the waist down.” This kind of behaviour by the police, she added, shows that they do not understand the psyche. “There needs to be a lot of training in the development of people’s minds.”
“The way the police deals with communities needs to be revisited, “from the top right down.”
Dr. Harding questioned whether the Force has a psychologist.
“Who assesses the cases and the communities to see the level and kinds of violence or what are the underlying principles operating in the homes in that community?”
Policemen should be seen as the friend of the community, she added.
Dr. Harding noted that a lot of policemen themselves are brought up in these communities, “that are so wretched themselves and they go into the force and behave in the same wretched ways, because they are not trained.”
She added that their training, too, is not commensurate with the requirements of the job.
While she admitted that there are great officers within the system, that greatness is not being spread and there are not enough programmes to help boost the force.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 20, 2024
– Elton Dharry and Dexter Marques to headline tonight’s card Kaieteur Sports – The Everest Cricket Club pavilion crackled with tension yesterday as the Guyana Boxing Board hosted its...Kaieteur News – Once a habit has been drilled into you, it returns almost automatically when you return to the setting... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]