In light of a series of reported Police misconduct in the public domain, former Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Strategic Management Department (SMD), Patrick Mentore believes the introduction of the Early Intervention System (EIS) will assist to remedy this situation.
Mentore explained that the system will detect ranks whose conduct is unbecoming thus creating a problem which will ultimately affect the quality of their performance.
An Early Intervention System (formerly known as an early warning system) is a data-based Police management tool designed to identify officers whose behaviour is problematic, and provide some form of intervention to avoid or correct misbehaviour.
Mentore noted that the Guyana Police Force should try the system since it is being used in the United States of America and other first world countries.
“This is what is happening all over the place. When things are not tried is simply because people are not fully convinced that it can work and when people are not convinced of something can work, they don’t have the commitment to try,” he outlined.
Furthermore, Mentore noted that Commissioner of Police, Leslie James along with other policymakers can use the tools provided to them including policy formulation to tackle this issue.
While referencing that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) uses a similar methodology and was able to identify 62 deputies who were responsible for the initiation of almost 500 use-of-force/harassment complaint investigations.
“People from at the policy-making level ought to be exposed to ramification of introducing such a system.”
Moreover, the Head added that understanding the staff and ensuring that they are executing their duties in a professional manner is a key component of eradicating misconduct in Guyana.
“Unless you marry efficiency with more than great service to Police welfare you are going to get problem. You got to marry your expectation with professionalism, you got to look and see what resources are to support your expectation and then you got to also marry all of that with some serious consideration with Police welfare.”
“You need to understand what are, for example, the prevailing ailment that is affecting policemen and women,” Mentore explained.
The latest Police misconduct was back in December 2019 when two policemen, who are brothers, reportedly forced Akshay Budhairam of Westminster, West Bank Demerara (WBD), into a car and took him to their La Parfaite Harmonie, WBD home where they assaulted him.
The two brothers accused the young man of breaking into their home and stealing a phone and a video game.
According to reports, the teenager was severely beaten by the cops. They even poured hot water on his body.
Meanwhile, as they were transporting the teen to another location, Budhairam managed to escape. The teen recalled the horrific six hours of torture he endured before managing to make a daring escape.
Budhairam said that during the ordeal, he thought he was going to die. The police officers, Isaiah Bernard Daniel Bernard, were released on $200,000 bail each when the matter was called in court.
