Career lawman Paul Slowe ‘speaks out’ to correct police force
Although he might appear to have become persona non grata to the Guyana Police Force over the past two years, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Esmond Slowe, who was decorated for his service to the institution, thinks it’s a matter of his professionalism and integrity.
Slowe, 67, started a programme broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, titled “Speaking Out: Exposing Corruption and Incompetence,” to educate and deal with security issues in the public domain. He has at least one pending lawsuit as a result of his broadcasts.
However, Slowe, who in the past lectured at the University of Guyana on security and public safety and was a frequent facilitator at the Felix Austin Training College, remains undaunted. “As knowledgeable senior police officers we need to speak out on the correct things,” he told Stabroek Weekend.
It’s not an entirely new position for Slowe to be in as even he admits that at one point he may have been “public enemy number one.”
Born in Craig, East Bank Demerara, he grew up in Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD) where his father was a large peasant cane farmer. “I grew up as a farm boy in the backdam burning cane, cutting cane, shoveling trash and cleaning trench with the old man.”
His early formal education was at Beterverwagting Government School. At 14 years, he joined the Guyana Youth Corps at Tumatumari, where he learned to love the military. Before his 18th birthday, he applied to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force to join their ranks. The GPF recruitment began before the GDF
He took the police entrance examinations and while waiting to join the GPF he was recruited as a Special Constable, 2680, just before his 18th birthday to work during the 1973 elections on the ECD.
In 1974, from March to August, Slowe undertook the police training and excelled in foot drills, physical training and weapons training. At the end of the training he was assigned to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU), at Eve Leary, from September 1 and was identified as a drill and physical training instructor for the next batch of recruits.
In 1976, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. The following year he was promoted to Sergeant at 21 years. “That is still a record. No one has ever joined as a constable and came through the ranks to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant at that age.”
In 1989, as an Assistant Superintendent he was selected by the GPF administration to lead Guyana’s contingent with the United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia, South West Africa. He was briefed on his duties at the UN headquarters in New York and then made to select 29 ranks to go with him to Namibia where they spent almost a year.
In 1991, he was promoted to Deputy Superintendent and placed in charge of the TSU. In 1992, he was promoted to Superintendent. That year general elections were held on October 5 and chaos erupted in Georgetown the day after elections.
“As the man in charge of the TSU I went out with the TSU riot unit and restored order in the city. Having taken the course of action that was necessary I was perhaps public enemy number one in Georgetown because some people didn’t want order to be restored. It was done in such a professional manner there was no serious injury or loss of life because the ranks were properly trained and well led. I did not look at politics.”
In 1991, Slowe started the Diploma in Public Administration at the University of Guyana (UG) and on completion he read for the Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management.
In 1993, he was transferred, and subsequently appointed the commander of the West Demerara Division. Shortly after, he was appointed head of the Presidential Guard under Dr Cheddi Jagan. There, he was selected to pursue further training in leadership at the Police Staff College in Bramshill, England.
“I excelled there. Since 1994 no other senior police officer was identified for that specialized training in the UK.” He then returned to West Demerara as the Commander.
Promoted to Senior Superintendent, Slowe became the Traffic Chief.
In the run up to the 1997 general elections, he was assigned to ‘A’ Division (Georgetown) because of his expertise in crowd control. In 1998, he was awarded the
Disciplinary Services Medal (DSM) during President Janet Jagan’s tenure because of the actions he took in crowd management in 1992 and 1997. “That was a rare occurrence because the DSM was generally awarded to officers who were ranked Assistant Commissioners and above and not to senior superintendents.” Slowe was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour in 2020 by President David Granger.
After the 1997 elections, Slowe returned to Traffic Headquarters as the Traffic Chief.
In 1998, he underwent training at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in Quantico, Virginia, United States.
In 1999, he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACoP) and made Commander of the Berbice Division.
“In Berbice, I came into conflict with then Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and then President Bharrat Jagdeo.” It would determine the course of the remainder of his career in the force.
Unlawful order
According to Slowe, his “version” is that in 2003, the son of a Blairmont businessman was shot at the businessman’s residence. “Investigations found that both father and son had firearms. Both firearms were seized to be ballistically examined to determine which one might have been involved in the shooting. Some people said the son shot himself accidentally. Others said he had a confrontation with his father who might have shot him.”
On a Friday afternoon, Slowe said, Gajraj called him on the same matter and he explained the sequence of events and the course of the investigations. “I told him Commissioner of Police (CoP), Mr Floyd McDonald, had shown an interest in the matter and we were working to ensure its completion in the shortest possible time. He asked me when the firearms would be returned. I told him the investigations had not reached the stage for the firearms to be returned. He insisted they be returned and said he was ordering me to return the firearms the very day. I suggested he speak to the CoP. He told me he was ordering me and that I must carry out the order. I said, ‘No Sir. The order is unlawful’ He told me that I should comply and then complain, even if I was not satisfied. I objected. I reminded him of the Nuremberg Trials in Germany following World War II and the doctrine that came out of those trials that said no one can be forcibly compelled to carry out unlawful orders from their superiors. Even when an unlawful order is given, as a competent individual you ought to know the order is unlawful.”
The matter, he said, escalated and then President Jagdeo summoned him for a meeting the following week. “He tried to convince me to apologise to the minister because the minister said I was rude to him. The story had changed because the minister complained about the tone of my voice when I spoke to him and not that he had given me an unlawful order. I said I needed to see the minister’s complaint in writing. The meeting ended.”
The following month Slowe was in his New Amsterdam office when President Jagdeo called to say he had expected the apology. “I again tried to explain and he said he didn’t want any explanation. If I did not provide him with the apology by the Monday afternoon, he said, and I am quoting him here, ‘I am going to side with the minister and you will suffer the consequences.’ He terminated the call. I was in a meeting with my officers and I explained to them what had transpired. I was in no frame of mind to continue and I adjourned the meeting. I called attorney Mr Peter Britton and told him about the exchange between the President and me.”
There was no Police Service Commission (PSC) and Britton advised that being an ACoP, the PSC was the only constitutional authority to take disciplinary action against him. “He cautioned that I would most likely be victimised. I suggested to him and he agreed that I write a statement of all that transpired.”
Slowe informed the CoP that he had written a statement and a copy was sent to the Office of the President that same Monday afternoon. A few days later he received a letter from the CoP instructing him to report to Police
Headquarters on the first Monday in April 2004 to be reassigned to head the Financial Investigations Unit. “I felt it was unfair and an attempt to discipline me for something that was not my fault. I couldn’t get onto Mr Britton. I felt the matter was urgent enough so I reached out to Mr Rex McKay.”
McKay secured an injunction from the High Court preventing the CoP from moving Slowe from Berbice. In 2004, when McDonald left office and Winston Felix replaced him as CoP, Felix could not transfer Slowe to Georgetown because of the injunction. Slowe and his lawyer subsequently withdrew the application.
“After that I was never promoted even though I was well trained and qualified.”
He retired in 2010 as the deputy to CoP Henry Greene and only acted as the CoP when Greene was out of the country.
PSC, legal woes
However, Slowe’s involvement with the police force would not end there. In 2018, Slowe was appointed a member and chairman of the PSC. “I was involved in the process of appointing a CoP with then President Granger in keeping with the constitution. Reports of indiscipline were properly investigated. Tribunals were set up and punishment meted out as necessary. Complaints had been made that monies were passed to be promoted, sexual favours were demanded and all kinds of irregularities were going on. We brought an end to that.”
After the change in government in 2020, Slowe met on September 16 with President Irfaan Ali, who indicated he wanted some people promoted because of their years of service. Slowe advised him of the criteria for promotion.
“I also advised him of the standing rule that if a person had a disciplinary matter pending they could not be considered for promotion until the matter was completed. Several persons he had recommended had disciplinary matters pending.”
Meanwhile the PSC had started the process for promotions to be made by December 31. “On December 17, 2020 the commission received several letters from several officers led by then senior superintendent Calvin Brutus and several officers through their lawyer requesting the PSC not to proceed with promotion until disciplinary matter against them were completed and if the PSC moved forward before the matters were completed they would move to the courts to stop the promotions. On December 23, the PSC met and shortlisted those for promotion. They met on December 30 and 31 to finalise the list. At that stage Brutus and other officers secured an injunction from the Chief Justice preventing the PSC from making the promotions. On June 28, 2021, the challenge was thrown out and the PSC released the list of promotions. The AG said government was not recognising the promotions.”
On May 15, 2021, Slowe said, the Special Organised Crime Unit filed charges against him, former PSC member and retired ACoP Clinton Conway and several retired and serving officers with conspiracy to commit fraud. “I was out of the country but I also had charges for sexual assault. A police officer claimed I touched her legs inappropriately three times during a meeting. Since the matters were filed, and with several appearances, SOCU cannot say how many witnesses they have to call. The next hearing for those matters is August 12.”
Following the charges Prime Minister Mark Phillips in a letter asked Slowe and Conway to show cause in writing by a specific deadline why he should not advise the President to remove them from the PSC.
Within a week of the first letter, Slowe and all commissioners received another letter from the Prime Minister asking them to show cause in writing why he should not advise the President to remove all of them from office because they had joined with politicians.
APNU+AFC MP Ganesh Mahipaul had challenged in court the government’s decision to amend the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. “We had joined that because the PSC was being deprived of funds and we felt it was necessary.”
On June 16, 2021, Slowe and the commissioners received a letter from the President informing them they were suspended immediately from the PSC.
“We moved to the courts to challenge what we considered was unlawful suspension because the constitutional process to suspend commissioners was not followed. That matter is still before the court.” Initially the President was named as the respondent but because of immunity his name was removed.
Meanwhile, the AG had filed an application to strike the matter out because the commission’s life had ended on August 8, 2021. In March 2022, Justice Gino Persaud ruled in favour of the PSC saying it was a matter of public interest. The AG appealed the decision before a full court which upheld Justice Persaud’s decision. Slowe was added in the application in his own right because of his locus standi. Following the ruling of the full court, the AG appealed the matter in the Appeal Court and was denied. The matter is due to be heard again on August 24.
“In the promotions made on July 2, 2022 some were promoted, but others who were earmarked for promotion in 2021, were not”, he said.
Marksman, sports enthusiast
As a leading pistol shot in the GPF, the military and paramilitary, Slowe represented Guyana and the West Indies in rifle shooting. He represented the GPF in cricket at the intermediate level, billiards, volleyball, table tennis, darts and track and field.
“I managed and coached the West Indies full bore team and was at the mecca of shooting in Bisley, Surrey, England on three occasions. I was the coach and manager of four rifle teams to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Australia (Gold Coast and Melbourne) and Manchester in the UK. I have represented my country with pride and honour.”
On retirement from the GPF, the then West Indies Cricket Board employed him as its security officer and he travelled extensively with the touring West Indies team.
“I am the first person to hold the position of security officer in Cricket West Indies. The security infrastructure, security
arrangements and security plans were developed and put together by me. I interacted with the International Cricket
Council as the West Indies representative on security.” He retired in March this year.