A citizens’ petition demanding sweeping reform and international oversight of the Guyana Police Force has garnered strong public backing, intensifying pressure on Parliament just weeks after the National Assembly blocked a similar call for independent investigation into the Force’s leadership and conduct.
Launched by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), the petition has attracted 195 verified signatures and reached over 68,000 people on Facebook, with more than 8,000 direct engagements. The campaign, driven by mounting public outrage over the state of policing, specifically names the controversial handling of Adrianna Younge’s death as the final spark in a much broader crisis.
GHRA’s petition urges Parliament to facilitate “an immediate, independent and thorough investigation into the operations, conduct, and leadership of the Guyana Police Force,” to be carried out by a credible and impartial international organisation—a stipulation underscoring the public’s lack of faith in domestic accountability mechanisms.
Yet the path to reform remains politically charged and institutionally blocked. Last month, the National Assembly rejected a motion put forward by Opposition Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir, which called for an international review of policing practices and leadership. Other Opposition parliamentarians voiced their support for the Motion.
Speaker of the House Manzoor Nadir, however, ruled the motion out of order, arguing it challenged the constitutional authority of the President in matters of security, a move widely criticised by civil society groups as procedurally flimsy and politically motivated.
GHRA’s initiative now signals a citizen-led response to that institutional inaction. “This collective action illustrates how petitions can help cooperative action between civil society and Parliamentarians, offering an alternative path forward amidst the racial and political polarisation that characterises public life in Guyana,” the organisation stated.
“It also underscores the positive potential of social media, often dismissed as a space for divisive commentary,” GHRA was quick to note.
The petition’s underlying concerns are systemic and severe. Beyond the Younge case, it outlines a litany of longstanding grievances, including money laundering, politicised promotions, asset misappropriation, corrupt procurement, and disappearances of narcotics evidence. It also raises alarms over the increasing influence of private security firms—especially Sheriff Security—in traditionally state-dominated spaces.
According to GHRA, Sheriff Security has operated with apparent impunity, at times appearing to direct police officers on the ground. The company has been seen intervening in public disputes, notably at Younge’s autopsy, and reportedly maintains close links to senior government officials. Allegations against its backers include ties to a Ministry of Housing scandal and gold smuggling through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
This privatisation of Force, GHRA argues, deepens the dysfunction of a policing system that never truly emerged from its colonial roots. “The Guyana Police Force, born from the colonial-era ‘Guyana Militia,’ has never fully evolved into a modern civilian policing institution,” the statement notes. It criticises the Force’s bloated hierarchy, lack of career development, and detachment from the communities it purports to serve.
Despite Parliament’s resistance, the petition has opened a new front in the national conversation on policing. GHRA’s use of social media, often written off as a toxic political space, has demonstrated the power of digital platforms in mobilising civic action. Whether the Executive or Parliament listens to this new wave of public pressure remains to be seen.
