| A row has now started between the Guyana Police Force and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over this year’s police promotion.On Old Year’s Day, the PSC said that it is a Constitutional Agency constituted under Section 210 of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and is not influenced or controlled by any outside interference.This was in response to remarks made by Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud the previous day at his end-of-year press conference.The Commissioner said that the PSC had written to him informing that the anticipated annual police promotions would be announced on or before February 23 this year and not January 1 as is traditional.He said that the PSC had played right into the hands of former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee who had suggested that the promotions be put on hold pending the completion of disciplinary matters against some officers who were identified to be promoted. But in a strongly worded response, the PSC strongly advised the Commissioner of Police to desist from making derogatory, irresponsible, loose and malicious statements regarding the promotion of Inspectors and Officers and the functioning of the Police Service Commission.In its explanation, the PSC said that recognizing that there was no promotion list submitted at the end of November 2015, it took a decision at its statutory meeting to write the Commissioner of Police inquiring whether there will be Promotions for 2015.The Commissioner subsequently forwarded the Recommendations for Promotion on December 11, 2015.The PSC explained that it subsequently convened a Special Meeting on December 21, after Members of the Commission observed a number of inconsistencies on the list provided by the Commissioner of Police.“The Promotion List provided to the Police Service Commission were found to be flawed with the following discrepancies: – A Rank recommended for promotion is on Retirement Leave; Several Ranks recommended for promotion did not pass the Appropriate Qualifying Examinations (AQE) in keeping with Chapter 16.01 of the Police Act; A few Ranks recommended for promotion were interdicted from official duty and ranks recommended for promotion are not on the Seniority List,” the PSC said.It was also observed that there were over two hundred and fifty (250) supersessions on the provided ListAfter careful deliberations by the Members, the Commission took a decision to seek more time to scrutinize all Personal Files for Sergeants, Inspectors and Officers of the Guyana Police Force and to cross-examine them with the spreadsheets that were prepared during the interviews.The PSC said it is only fair to the Members of the Commission to be given ample time to ensure that an acceptable Promotion List is approved.The PSC also said that over the last two months it interviewed 235 Inspectors and Officers of the Guyana Police Force.The rationale for these interviews was to have an assessment prepared on these Inspectors and Officers with emphasis being placed on the following areas: – Policing Experience; Training (Internally and Externally) and appropriate educational qualifications; General Staff Management and Appraisal, and Overview on disciplinary matters.Article 212 (1) of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana clearly states that “Subject to the provisions of article 211(1), the power to make appointments to any officer in the Police Force of or the above the rank of Inspector, the power to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices and the power to remove such persons from office shall vest in the Police Service Commission.”In light of this, the PSC looked at all eligible ranks of the Guyana Police Force who were recommended or not recommended for promotion.DISCIPLINARYMATTERS‘Regarding pending disciplinary matters, it must be noted that disciplinary matters are recommended by Force Administration and it is the responsibility of Force Administration and not the Police Service Commission to institute the charges and preparing the Charge Sheets for Ranks of the Guyana Police Force.“It must be noted that the Police Service Commission in a letter dated April 22, 2015 informed the Commissioner of Police on the decision taken to appoint Mr. Cecil Sullivan, Retired Magistrate, to expedite the hearing of pending disciplinary matters for Inspectors and Officers in the Guyana Police Force.“The Commissioner of Police welcomed this initiative by Police Service Commission and appointed a Senior Officer to function as the Presenting Officer for these trials.”The PSC said it has taken note about comments made by the Commissioner of Police at his recently held Police Press Conference at the Commissioner’s Boardroom about “Police Promotion 2015 put on hold”.This, it said, is far from the truth. The Police Service Commission reiterated that the moral standing of employees in an organization depends on the leadership of that organization.The Police Service Commission categorically stated that promotions for members of the Guyana Police Force are done based on the vacancies existing and to maintain established strength of the Force and not traditionally during the Christmas Season.But the Guyana Police Force has not taken the PSC’s position lying down.In a statement sent out on New Year’s Day, the police clarified that the PSC wrote to the Commissioner of Police asking for the personal files of Officers, Inspectors and Sergeants, since during October 2015 and had also requested that identified ranks report to the Service Commission since then, and this was complied with immediately.The police said that the PSC never requested the recommendations for promotion from the Commissioner of Police until during December 2015 and this was acted upon.The force explained that during January 2015, the Commissioner of Police had written the Chairman of the PSC for information on the criteria used by the Service Commission in making promotions in the Police Force, in order to guide the Force Administration in making recommendations, but has not received any response to date.It said that it is for that very reason, and taking into consideration the fact that the Service Commission had sent for the personal files and interviewed a number of ranks,http://www.theworldsoccersshop.com/Argentina-Facundo-Roncaglia-Jersey.html, the Force Administration did not volunteer a list of recommendations for promotion until it was requested.“The Guyana Police Force is also asking the Police Service Commission to clarify to the public which section of the Police Act states that promotion is dependent on a rank passing the Appropriate Qualifying Examination,” the police statement said. |
