– say Ex-Police Associations of America and Canada
…refuse to recognise newly ‘elected’ Police Association
Ex-Police Associations of America and Canada have joined forces with the Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Associations (CFPWA) to reject the election of persons for key posts within the Guyana Police Association as orchestrated by Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus on the basis that Brutus had no authority to call the election.
“The Guyana Ex-Police Association of America (GEPAOA) and the Guyana Ex-Police Association of Canada (GEPAC) join with the Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Associations (CFPWA) in refusing to recognize Guyana’s “newly-selected” Police Association, because the “legitimately elected” executive was removed from office.
This conduct by those responsible for calling the election of the Police Association is also reprehensible and should also be immediately addressed,” the associations said in a joint statement.
The Ex-Police Associations of America and Canada registered their objection in a statement issued on May 27, 2021, even as they express deep concern that a selective few is attempting to besmirch the good name of the Guyana Police Force.
The associations said it all started with the elections of the Police Association when the legitimately elected executive was booted out of office and replaced by an illegitimate group.
“It should be noted that the Police Association plays a pivotal role in the appointment process of the Chairman and members of the Police Service Commission (PSC), a senior member of the police force, who was denied promotion by the said commission, allegedly played a big part in toppling the legitimate Police Association,” the associations noted.
It said to make matters worse, the Chairman of the Commission, Paul Slowe, Commissioner Clinton Conway and a number of other current and retired officers have now been dragged before the court.
“While we will not delve into the legitimacy of those charges and allow the courts to do it’s work, we again stress on the timing of these charges which are being manifested to stymie the work of the PSC. We also wish to remind those in authority that one of the main tenets of our justice system is that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court,” the associations said.
On Monday, Slowe accused President Irfaan Ali of attempting to influence the promotion of senior officers aligned to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration. He said the Commission’s failure to heed to the President’s demands have resulted in charges being laid against him, Conway and seven current and retired officers for allegedly conspiring to defraud the Police Force. The charges, Slowe and Conway have said, are trumped up, false and politically motivate.
