President Ali calls for a new standard of performance, professionalism – commends GPF for remarkable performance in past year
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday called for a new standard of performance and professionalism as he commended the remarkable performance of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in the past year, praising the leadership for achieving this success.
Addressing the Annual Police Officers’ Conference at the Police Officers Mess Annexe, Georgetown, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces acknowledged the significant role the police force has played in addressing social issues in various communities.
“I must accord credit where credit is due. The Guyana Police Force has been working with my administration to fashion a modern, diversified, and accountable organisation. It has made significant strides over the past year.
“To see officers and their ranks cleaning medians, painting roadways, building houses, delivering hampers, cleaning drains, walking in the community, talking to every section of the Guyanese people is most admirable,” the president underscored.
He noted that policing involves much more than simply ‘walking around with guns’, and patrolling the streets.
“You are not just officers representing the Guyana Police Force. You are officers leading other ranks to deliver an environment that is secure, comfortable, and…importantly, one that offers a higher standard of living,” he told the senior ranks.
Policing and national development
Speaking on the dynamics of policing, President Ali noted the importance of understanding the level of duty that policing calls for in national development.
He explained that the complexity of the global, regional, and national architecture has drastically changed due to advancements in technology, and therefore, the dynamics of policing have also changed.
“Policing is not isolated from development and development is not isolated from policing…The security architecture of a country is a bedrock through which development, sustainability, resilience, and progress can be achieved,” the head of state pointed out.
With over 2000 officers already trained or in training, President Ali has challenged the GPF to overcome the many challenges in building a stronger and safer future for the country.
To confront those challenges, President Ali emphasised the need for a proactive thinking organisation that can anticipate and address security issues, rather than a reactive and passive one.
He also called for a new standard of performance and professionalism within the force, emphasising the need for a force that is, ‘driven by performance and fuelled by professionalism.’
We must end road carnage
Meanwhile, the head of state expressed his distress regarding the current situation on Guyana’s roadways.
He said the issues stemmed from the country’s infrastructure capacity and an increasing number of vehicles as well as ‘recklessness and stupidity’ on the part of some drivers, who endanger their own lives and families and put other persons at risk.
President Ali said the issue must receive special attention at the conference and suggested a large-scale educational campaign to address these matters.
“This must stop…We passed legislation to make bar owners and bartenders accountable also, not just the drivers…we must implement this legislation, this guideline.”
Attending the opening ceremony were Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, and other senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force, Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Acting Chief Justice, Justice Roxane George and members of the diplomatic corps.
The conference is being held under the theme ‘Improve Partnership, Human Development and Accountability to Enhance Service Delivery.’