| By Dale Andrews Guyana’s decision to temporarily abandon talks with the British Government on the issue of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan (Police Reform), has led to many questions about the main stumbling block.Although Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon, who is heading the Guyana delegation during the talks, is pointing to a total disregard for Guyana’s sovereignty as the reason for the hold up,Wholesale Jerseys USA, the issue is still not too clear. Dr. Luncheon’s stated reason was quite ambiguous to say the least.Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger LuncheonDr Luncheon, said that the British proposal abandons the agreements that were negotiated, specifically on Guyana’s ownership.He noted that the documents neglect to be in concurrence with what they had agreed on during the negotiations.The Security Sector Reform Programme, is primarily geared towards the institutional strengthening of the Guyana Police Force to make it more effective in fighting criminal activity.There were several reports presented with recommendations for the implementation of the plan, which commenced in 2006.There were studies and reports by the Capita Symonds Group from the UK, the Scottish College and the Disciplined Forces Commission.Out of these studies, a document entitled ‘The Institutional Modernisation of the Guyana Police Force’ was presented.The Guyana Government had secured through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) a $20M loan, which was to be funded in part by the British Government.The Head of the Presidential Secretariat noted that the British seem to be suggesting that there are capacity constraints in the process of implementation.“The negotiations were completed. The agreed policy positions were with the British Government from December 2008 until April 2009.”According to Dr. Luncheon,NFL Jerseys China, he was told in April that the document that allows Guyana to implement the policy faithfully, captured what was agreed to in December.Henry GreeneHowever, it did not, he added. This sentiment was also expressed by members of the National Security Secretariat, which was constituted for this negotiation.During the negotiations, Dr Luncheon added, both sides recognised the principle of Guyana’s ownership of security strategy and the security policy formulation.“We were not asking for an ‘arm and a leg’…This is a hallowed principle in international relations…What was presented to us in April, was offensive where that was concerned.”What led to this reversal of respect for that principle, that was agreed to on both sides and captured in written documentation, has not been explained, he added.There are various schools of thoughts that are circulating about the reasons for the breakdown of negotiations.According to a well placed source, one is that Guyana is objecting to the British Government’s suggestion that live-fire training of ranks be conducted on the Guyana border with Venezuela and Brazil.Given the history of conflict between Guyana and Venezuela, one would agree that there is a valid reason for Guyana to object to such a suggestion.Further, there are Amerindian communities in the suggested location. The government would have had to relocate entire villages to accommodate the exercise. This might have proven to be a difficult task.A senior police officer who is closely linked to the implementation of the process, said that he is unaware of such a position.He noted that in 2006, a team of British trainers had conducted training for about 100 police ranks at the GUYUCO Diamond location.According to the officer, there are alternative locations that could be used for live-fire training of the ranks and the British would not be that rigid to insist that it be done at the border location, to the detriment of the programme.Another school of thought is that the donors are insisting that British consultants be directly involved in overseeing the implementation of certain aspects of the programme, a position that Guyana is not too willing to accept.At the last Annual Police Officers’ Conference, President Bharrat Jagdeo had stated that there were already a lot of consultants and reports. Police reform should proceed immediately,NBA Jerseys China, he said.Then, there are rumours that the Guyana Government is not too keen on having an outside presence within the force.“There is a feeling that whoever is sent to oversee the implementation, will not only look into the process, but will be in a position to enquire about perceived corruption within the security sector,” the senior officer opined.The Guyana Police Force has been tainted by allegations of corruption, with senior officers being linked to the drug trade.In at least two other CARICOM countries, the British have a direct presence in the police forces, where police reform is high on the agenda.The issue of the British not being too keen on working with the present police administration is also being muted.The process of police reform started in earnest under former Commissioner Winston Felix, and since his retirement,nhl jerseys outlet, there has been little movement.“It is possible that the (Guyana) government is not too keen to have the British too integrally involved in the local security sector two years before general elections. I am not suggesting that there is anything sinister, but it stands to reasons that any government would want to protect the sovereignty of its security in a time like this,” the officer explained.In a letter sent to British High Commissioner to Guyana, Fraser Wheeler, Dr. Luncheon, stated that he has lost faith in the process and is increasingly convinced of ulterior motives on the part of the representatives of the Government of the UK.This letter surfaced one day after Wheeler blamed the administration’s bureaucracy for delaying the implementation of the plan.A recent British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report, stated that Guyana can lose £3M sterling (US$4.7 M).The warning came amidst a disagreement between the two countries on how to properly manage the funds that have been set aside for the Security Sector Reform Programme (SSRP).The SSRP, whose Interim Memorandum of Understanding was signed in August 2007, is aimed at improving police operations in crime hot-spots, forensics, crime-intelligence and traffic policing.Wheeler told the media on Monday last, that the reform implementation process is ‘unfortunately going slowly’.He said that his government’s frustration with the pace of implementation was shared with President Bharrat Jagdeo.The High Commissioner pointed out that the money has been ‘hanging around for a long time’.According to a source, so far for this year, there were only two meaningful meetings to address the issue.“There is only talk, talk and more talk, and no forward movement,Wholesale Football Jerseys,” the source said.This newspaper had asked Home Affairs Minister,wholesale jerseys china, Clement Rohee to comment on the matter, but he referred to a previous letter to the press in which he responded to claims by the Leader of the Alliance for Change on the matter.It is still not clear how much of the US$20M has been spent and how many recommendations have been properly implemented.Another top police officer told this newspaper that it is being touted that the police force is not ready to implement some of the recommendations.“If we want to move ahead and are really serious about security, then let us move ahead,” the officer stated.According to one of the consultants’ reports, the Guyana Police Force is too top heavy, since 75 per cent of its strength is in the office, while in the developing countries the situation is quite the opposite.This will also make promotions more competitive.It was recommended that a system be developed where ranks must go before a panel and the most suitable person be promoted to fill vacancies.“This does not happen here in Guyana because ranks know that after serving a certain number of years their promotion can be automatic and should this recommendation be implemented, this is one of the fears of some ranks in the force,” an officer told this newspaper.Another recommendation is for the development of a result-oriented planning model which will be designed to ensure that the Guyana Police Force accounts for its performance.Presently, the performance of the force is judged by the public, while in other countries there is a civilian oversight board which oversees the performance of the police.Other recommendations include the development of an integrated human resource management system; the development of an internal audit system; the development of an integrated financial administrative system and the implementation of an electronic document management system.But with the threat of a withdrawal of financing, the administration will be hard pressed to implement all of the recommendations which are geared towards making the Guyana Police Force 21st century compatible. |
