East Coast cop resigns
Lack of protection cited
Stabroek News
June 7, 2002
A senior police officer at the Vigilance Police Station last night confirmed that at least one rank from that precinct has tendered his resignation.
Reports reaching Stabroek News stated that three policemen - two constables and one detective constable - sent in their resignations to the Officer-in-Charge yesterday, citing the lack of protection on the part of the force for its members.
But when this newspaper contacted the Vigilance Station on the East Coast Demerara, it was told that only one rank, the detective constable, had resigned.
Recently, there have been reports in some sections of the media about resignations from the force, but both Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, and the Guyana Police Force have denied these reports.
The police, in a release issued two days ago, said no rank had tendered his or her resignation in the past three weeks. The statement said ranks of the force have always displayed a great sense of duty, pride and loyalty in trying circumstances, withstanding all forms of difficulties in discharging their functions.
A reliable source said that prior to yesterday there had been no such resignations from Vigilance, and offered that yesterday's was the first. That source said some policemen were a bit disgruntled now because they felt the "administration is not protecting [them]...."
One senior officer, dismissing earlier claims that ranks were resigning because of the current crime wave, had previously told this newspaper, "people have joined the police force and, like any other job, people have resigned."