Latest update May 14th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 05, 2009 Letters
Dear Editor,
I was reading the editorial every day since the news broke about the 14-year-old, who it was alleged that was tortured by the police. I have read many of your editorials over the past in respect to disciplinary forces and crime in general and I am impressed with your research.
Your editorial caption, “Something stinks in the Guyana Police Force” on Tuesday the 3rd November 2009 appears to me that discipline is not part of the force motto. They are there to protect and serve the public. Your reports of abuses by members of the force in recent times appear to me that there is accountability, in fact there is a saying the “the cart in front of the horse”. Where is the leadership?
I must however, congratulate this newspaper for highlighting the abuse of the 14-year-old boy and the photographs were not taken by the press it was given to them and the only person who could have done that is an officer. I must also congratulate the officer(s) who see this act as illegal and brought it to the fore.
I am a security professional and deeply sadden by the many events which are occurring within the region by members of the protective forces. However, this is the time for Government to rise up and clean up the image of the force.
You highlighted many instances of abuse and let me make this point now that abuse will not be totally eradicated, there will be pockets of abuse. Just like crime we will never eradicate it.
The police force have procedures in dealing with suspects and it’s the responsibility of the Divisional Commander to ensure that the procedures are adhered to, failing to do so, he or she will be held accountable for any act or omission.
In my view I believe that the Guyana Police Force should have an audit of all its procedures and wherever necessary changes are required there should be made. The time is now that the image of the force is changed to modern times.
If the police tortured the 14-year-old, I am surprise because the officers should have more commonsense and know how to extract information from an inexperience suspect. That is so easy that if he was involved in the crime that it should not take the investigating officers that length of time. It creates doubt within the legal system now when accused persons claim that they were beaten to give statements.
In going forward I would like to see attorneys and all those who have a part in the judicial system having copies of the guidelines for the treatment of suspects and that there are transparency within the system and the victim rights be also protected.
Morris Springer
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May 14, 2024
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