Police not ‘particularly happy’ over reduced curfew hours - senior officer

–but says `enforcement is our duty’

A senior police officer has told the Stabroek Business that the Guyana Police Force is not “particularly happy” over the recent further reduction of the curfew hours since the adjusted policing duties put a greater strain on an “already stretched” Police Force.

“We understand the economic reasons for the adjustments but it adds to what are already the heavy policing responsibilities that we have when you take account of the fact that this is a countrywide responsibility,” the policeman who spoke to the Stabroek Business on condition of anonymity said.

“Some people who says that the police are not doing [enough] in the enforcement of the curfew don’t understand that we cannot enforce with a heavy hand as though we are confronting criminals. There has to be a different approach, not a less serious approach but a different approach,” the police officer said. He added that this type of policing had posed “some challenges” for the Force.

“I don’t mind admitting to you that as a Police Force we do not see ourselves dragging groups of people to a police station and locking them up for not wearing face masks. I understand what you will say about the law having to be enforced but some of the less experienced ranks find the situation challenging.”

Asked about concerns which have been expressed in some sections of the media (including the Stabroek Business) that curfew monitoring patrols sometimes demonstrate an indifference to infractions, the senior officer said that there had been reports made to that effect and that the leadership of the Force had frowned on any such occurrences.

“The functions here are simple. There are the routine law and order oversight functions as well as those functions that enforce the curfew hours, whatever those are. The patrols are not authorized to exercise any discretion here,” he added.

Several persons have commented publicly on what they say is an apparent immunity enjoyed by some places of entertainment in the capital from the curfew restrictions though the officer stated that the Force was not aware that any public place was immune from the curfew restrictions. He added, however, that there had been cases in which patrols had had to disperse groups of revelers who had appeared inclined to go beyond the curfew limits. “After a while you get to know some of the places and events that push the limits, in which cases the patrols have to monitor them for compliance.

The police officer opined that while there had been, for some time, some level of public pushback against the COVID-19 strictures, it was his view that as “the numbers” (of COVID-afflicted persons) had increased people were taking the situation more seriously. “For example, I believe that it is fair to say that greater numbers of people are wearing face masks these days,” he added.

“More policing pressure” is being placed on a Guyana Police Force which is already under pressure in some communities to enforce the COVID-19 restrictions relating to a cut-off point for some types of activities.