In light of allegations of financial impropriety levelled against Deputy Commissioner (ag) Calvin Brutus, the senior rank in the leadership team has requested permission to proceed on annualized vacation leave with immediate effect to facilitate an investigation.
This permission was granted by the Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken through the prescribed procedure. Last week, Brutus was among three senior ranks who were rotated to foster efficiency within the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
In addition, this shake-up, according to the GPF is necessary as part of the modernisation plan for the force. However, it was reported in certain sections of the media and social media, that the decision to shake up the top brass of the GPF was to facilitate an investigation launched by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) into financial irregularities by the Administrative Office which was previously headed by Brutus.
It was further reported that SOCU officers confiscated several documents to facilitate the investigation. Following the allegations, the Police Commissioner stated “Relative to several social media posts and online news reports about a ‘shake-up’ in the top brass of the Guyana Police Force, please note that the rotation of officers is a management tool that is used to create and foster efficiency in an organisation.”
The release added, “Relative to a social media post by an overseas-based Guyanese that the Police Commissioner and another senior officer were sent home as part of an ongoing investigation by SOCU, please note that this is NOT TRUE. This report is misleading and fake.”
Last week, it was announced that Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ Calvin Brutus will now Head the Special Branch while Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ Ravindradat Budhram will be in charge of ‘Administration’.
In addition, the Head of the Special Branch, Assistant Commissioner Errol Watts will now take over operational duties from Brutus.
The GPF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026 is geared at transforming the law enforcement organisation into a contemporary one through the development of its human resources and other capabilities at levels.
Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn had stated that in order to implement the strategic plan, officers must have the right attitude and mindset.
“There’s a lot of things going for contemporary policing interventions in relation to information technology and in particular training, but it will all go to naught if you have the physical assets and the vehicles and the best legally trained and other trained managers…nothing matters if, at the middle level, the purpose, the willingness, the activity, and the direction do not integrate [with] what has to happen at the bottom in terms of actions to guarantee security.”
