As the Guyana Police Force continues to remove its “rogue” elements, Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine has affirmed that the Force has no place for unprofessional conduct, informing the public that some nine junior ranks were dismissed for their involvement in various types of motor vehicular offences.
Police statistics have revealed that for the period up to October 2017, some 28 junior police ranks were involved in motor vehicular accidents, some of which saw persons losing their lives.
At Monday’s press conference, the Acting Police Commissioner said that nine of these ranks were dismissed. He added that the force’s senior administration will not accept such unprofessional conduct, whether or not the ranks operate their private cars or the force fleet of vehicles, some of which were involved in accidents in the recent weeks.
“You cannot be driving without fitness, insurance [or] drunk driving, and expect to be a member of the force; you have to go,” Ramnarine strongly stated.
In March 2017 in Berbice, Constable Joshua Ali, then unlicenced, was fined $37,500 after pleading guilty for Driving under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol and breach of Condition of Provisional Licence. Similarly, Police Constable Satrohan Gowkarran, who struck a pedestrian at Stewartville, West Coast Demerara in a drunken state in September, pleaded guilty and was fined $7500 and had his licence endorsed for DUI.
Condemning such occurrences, Ramanrine suggested that new recruits are actively waiting to fill the vacuum that would be left by dismissed ranks.
“The Guyana Police Force did not have a long line waiting to enlist 5 years ago but today through the grace of God and through public trust, and other initiatives, we have a long line waiting out there so when you slip up; I’m not going to wait on three strikes, that is the way forward for the force,” he related, at the same time condemning the heavily tinted motor cars of junior ranks.
In August, 58-year-old Pulmattie Ramotar, of Success, East Coast Demerara, succumbed two days after she was struck down on the Success Public Road by a police rank.
Additionally, Eno David, 22, of Matthew’s Ridge, North West District was struck down at the Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara by a Police rank who was transporting an injured colleague, who himself was involved in a separate car accident in the early morning hours.
Police had however claimed that no alcohol was traced when breathalyser tests were conducted on those two ranks.
In September, 20-year-old former Lot 5 Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident and sales girl Anastacia Kerr lost her life after she was struck and killed by a drunken Police Lance Corporal at the Ogle Public Road, ECD.
It was reported that the Policeman was proceeding along the roadway in motorcar PSS 3984, when the deceased woman allegedly ran across the road and into the path of the vehicle. As a result, the left side of the car collided with her.
