Benn tells police force: talk properly, clean toilets, stop extortion, wear less jewellery

Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 July 2024, 8:21 by Writer

The Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, on Tuesday scolded the Guyana Police Force for poor quality members, despite a 20 percent drop in serious crimes for about four years, saying the time has come for them to cease taking bribes, end wearing a lot of valuable jewellery as a sign that they are taking inducements, and ensure police stations’ toilets are clean.

Addressing a symposium at the Police Officers’ Mess, Mr Benn bemoaned the practice of allowing complaints to escalate so that members of the public have to resort to bribing police for matters to be addressed. “Police must help people. Police must not extort people. Police must not wait for things to build up and get worse and then intervene, only to put or find people in a situation where they have to pay money, where they have to pay bribes. This must stop!” he said.

He also instructed the Police Force to ensure senior officers stop wearing many pieces of valuable jewellery because that was a sign that they were willing to be bribed by civilians. “The police commanders and others, who find themselves in authority, must not think that arriving on the job, that they need to award and reward themselves and to walk around with plenty gold and diamonds around their necks and their fingers. If they have that, it means they are men who could be bought. I can buy you because that’s what you like and you flaunt it. It must stop!,” he said.

While that law enforcement agency and government have been investing heavily in vehicles, new police stations, drones and overseas training of police, the Home Affairs Minister expressed disgust at the manner in which officers express themselves.

Mr Benn said there was “no real improvement” in the upkeep of fire service and police force buildings, quality of accommodations and condition of ablution areas. “If I go to a police station, the washrooms must be clean. There must be toilet paper there. It must be clean. The public should be expected to use it and that we must not face criticisms, as I was yesterday,” he said. He told members of the police force that the standards and things that “we want for ourselves” must be made available to taxpayers.

The Home Affairs Minister chided members of the force for the way they speak and interact with members of the public. “We need t0 pull ourselves up in relation to how we view ourselves and our people. It is not good enough to be looking beautiful in uniform but the most telling thing about yourself is about how you speak, how you relate to people, whether you disrespect people,” he said.

He said the Guyana Police Force has abandoned foot patrols, and canine patrols in areas such as the front of the Stabroek Market where he could “get an instant high”, in apparent reference to the use of marijuana there. He said “if you don’t look like me, you could be robbed, assaulted and even killed in that general environ around Stabroek Market”. Mr Benn said noise nuisance and riding motorcycles without helmets also need to be addressed.

He said Guyana was still grappling with transnational crimes such as cybercrime, money laundering, drug trafficking and gun crimes.