He said this kind of behaviour was a direct result of the poor pay and benefits given to policemen who did not see the force as a career anymore and resorted to crime to supplement their income.

“We want career officers. We do not want people joining the force because he wants something to do,” he said in testimony before the Disciplined Forces Commission.

The commission was set up by Parliament to review the disciplined forces, concentrating primarily on the Guyana Police Force on which it will submit a report of its findings and recommendations by mid-November.

Gibson says extorting money from detainees was one of the ways policemen cheated the system for their own gains. People are taken into custody and are freed if they pay off the police.

He used the example of one of his clients who was arrested and asked to post $1M bail but was freed the next day on $20,000 bail after a secret transaction.

In his formal submission to the commission he said every recruit must be made aware that apart from misconduct he would remain a member of the force until he reached the age of superannuation.

In addition he must also be made aware that every allegation against him would be investigated according to the provisions of the constitution.

But now, he said, Guyana was the only country in the Caribbean denying policemen their guaranteed pensions.

“In this regard the courts of Guyana have in recent years been the culprits and have been leading the vanguard to demoralise members of the police force by denying to them not only fair compensation but their superannuation benefits... The courts of Guyana are the only courts I know which arrogate to themselves the right to deny police their just compensation for past services. It takes away the career element from the police service.”

He attached to his submission the names of 40 policemen who have been in legal battles to get the benefits owed to them.

Gibson also says the Police Association is unconstitutional and ought to be disbanded. He said Parliament could not create organisations and then force people to join and pay dues.