With members of the public voicing concerns about officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) being “barely literate” due to the seemingly low educational standards required to join the service, Head of the Forces’ Administration Department Allison Moore debates that this is not true.
In an interview with the Force’s Public relations officer Stan Gouveia, Moore said that even though some officers might not be academically qualified, they are capable enough to conduct their duties.
“…you would hear people, some say it publicly, some whisper; persons genuinely believe that members of the Guyana Police Force are illiterate, but, throughout my career in the Guyana Police Force, I try to be the best police I can be, to behave as intelligently as I can, and to speak as intelligently as I can… the Guyana Police force does not comprise of illiterate ranks,” she contended.
Moore highlighted that the Police Force in collaboration with the government has been giving police officers second chances by providing training programmes for them.
As such, she argued that it is up to the individual ranks to prove the public wrong on the topic of literacy.
“If they are left on the wayside, it is by choice because when the courses come up, emails are being sent throughout every division and to every commander…,” she reasoned.
In this light, Moore said so far, there have hardly been ranks who do not try to further educate themselves, by taking advantage of the opportunities that are provided for them.
Only a month ago, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Calvin Brutus said the Force is aiming to improve the quality of policemen and women in the next 5 to 10 years, through various training.
Training is continuously being provided by the various police colleges across Guyana, by the University of Guyana (UG), and other institutions.
Collaborations with other governments also see police officers benefiting from a wide range of training opportunities.
