Top Cop denies going to strip club, blocking officer from studies; justifies her transfer

Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 May 2016, 16:30 by Denis Chabrol

Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud has denied going to a strip club in recent years and when he did so was not for entertainment.

In also refuting claims that Deputy Superintendent, Denise Griffith Jacobis was blocked from pursuing legal studies in Trinidad, the Commissioner said he never attended a strip club in Alberttown, Georgetown.

“He has denied attending any other strip club in Guyana other than for professional purposes and none of that has occurred in the last five years,” the Guyana Police Force said in a statement.

The Police Force was responding to allegations that the Police Commissioner had transferred Griffith-Jacobis because she had ordered the closure of a party at a strip club at 2 AM although she had known that he was in the building.

The Police Force pointed out that the transfer of Deputy Superintendent Griffith-Jacobis from the Number 3 Sub-Division of ‘A’ Division to the Courts had to do with poor performances highlighted in consistent reports provided by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

In responding to the claims that Griffith-Jacobis was blocked from legal studies, the Guyana Police Force said  she and Superintendent E. Cooper had applied at the same time with for permission to pursue Legal Education Studies in Trinidad in 2014. The force said both applications were supported by the Force and Superintendent E. Cooper attended the University and should be completing his studies shortly but Griffith-Jacobis was not successful at UG.

“Woman Deputy Superintendent Griffith-Jacobis, on the other hand, did not complete her programme at the University Of Guyana as she had anticipated. She is still yet to complete that programme. Therefore it would have been impossible for her to gain entry into the U.W.I programme, thus her non-attendance at U.W.I has nothing to do with the Guyana Police Force,” said the police force.

The Guyana Police Force informed the general public that leave required by members of the Guyana Police Force to depart Guyana is outside the control of the Force since it requires the government’s approval.

With regards to the other female officer that was offered training by a sports institution, the training was not supported by the Force because the said officer was disciplined for breach of standard operational procedures regarding her engagements with the sports institution.

The Guyana Police Force said its Ofice of Professional Responsibility was investigating the provision of false information to the media and that the Police Commissioner was considering legal action against that media house.