Police Force pulls plug on Wives Association

Last Updated on Monday, 16 June 2014, 22:27 by GxMedia

The Guyana Police Force on Monday announced that it has pulled its support from the Police Wives Association because that organization has not submitted audited financial statements as is required under the law and a call for elections to be held have been rebuffed.

Announcing its decision to withdraw from the PWA, the police force said that “it is felt that the current composition of the Executive Body does not allow for the interests of the Force to be represented or advanced, regarding its objectives.”

The force said that it reviewed its participation in the PWA after some issues emerged regarding the Patron and Ex-Officio Officer of the Association who is constitutionally the wife of the serving Police Commissioner. Those issues, the force added, came to the fore after the retirement of Police Commissioner, Leroy Brumell. Seelall Persaud has been appointed Acting Commissioner.

In a statement, the police force said that, except for a police sergeant who is the Treasurer and another who is the wife of a servicing officer, other PWA executive members are not wives of current, retired or deceased policemen or are not themselves active or retired.

“It should be noted that there are persons on the Executive Committee who are not members of the Force nor the wives of serving, retired or deceased members of the Force, and ought not to have been members of the Police Wives’ Association in the first place, and therefore their presence on the Executive Committee is in breach of the Constitution,” said the police force.

The force said that it found out that the PWA has not submitted audited financial statements since 2007 in keeping with the Friendly Societies Act Ch. 36:04 under which it has been registered since 2000.

According to the force, efforts by the Force Administration to encourage the PWA Executive to hold an Annual General Meeting were initially welcomed but later discarded.

“The Executive Body initially agreed, but thereafter bluntly refused and from all indications the ensuing communications smacked of disrespect for the Senior Female Police Officer and other female members of the Force who were engaged in the discussions,” added the police force.

The Police Force said that in recent times, the association has not contributed anything tangible to the Police Day car Centre not the serving husbands within the police force.

According to the force, it will continue to resource and manage the Police Juliet Griffith Day Care Centre with assistance from the Police Wives’ Association in an arrangement that provides for the most Senior Female Police Officer being responsible to the Commissioner of Police for the operations of the Day Care Centre.

The Guyana Police Force says it holds an Annual Youth Camp for children under the auspices of the PWA. In this arrangement, it is the Guyana Police Force that mobilises resources with planning and management inputs coming from the Police Wives’ Association.

The PWA’s Constitution provides for the wife of the Commissioner of Police in active service to be the Patron and an Ex- Officio Officer. The Patron, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer and five other members must be policewomen, or wives of policemen, and they shall form the Executive Committee.

The members of the Executive Committee must be selected from among the members of the Association and the Patron chairs meetings of the Executive Committee.