Monday's tragedy, in which an ex-policeman went berserk and shot and killed two of his peers, will no doubt stay in the minds of Guyanese. Events in Guyana's recent history have already underlined how seemingly valueless life has become. And although a significant number of policemen have been killed in the course of carrying out their duties in the murderous post-2002 Mashramani Day escapees' era, nothing would have prepared any of us, even the police, for the shock and awe of Monday.
Television newscasts and daily newspapers showed scenes and photographs of the grief-stricken family of Assistant Superintendent Richard Griffith and Lance Corporal 14177, Ramnarine Latchana. And as they wept ranks, mainly female, of the Guyana Police Force hovered, offering a shoulder or words of comfort. But more telling were the snaps of young policemen and women at Brickdam, tears streaming down their faces and the line of young and old officers, their shoulders bowed, their faces registering hurt disbelief as the filed out of the Georgetown Hospital mortuary where they had just left two of their own.
Every police officer on duty at Brickdam on Monday must have faced his/her own mortality on that day, which is not to say that they do not have similar experiences each time one of their own is cut down. But the unexpectedness of what occurred may have encouraged some deep thinking. It is not known why or under what circumstances the assailant left the police force where it was said he was a sergeant in the Tactical Services Unit. But clearly, here is a man who does not handle stress well. His inability to cope manifested itself in violence to the detriment of an organisation to which he once belonged; where he was once a respected member.
Somehow it is assumed that policemen/women, because most of them must investigate murders, deaths and other crime on an almost daily basis, are immune to the impact these have on the rest of society. But this is a mistaken assumption. Officers of the law are drawn from society, and therefore these occurrences would affect their psyche as much as they do the rest of us. Obviously they are trained to carry out their duties no matter what, but this does not mean they are impervious.
And because the police force mirrors the society, we must assume that as much attention is paid to mental well-being in the police force as in the rest of society. Small wonder then that Monday happened.
Security has been beefed up at Brickdam and no doubt at other police stations but that is not the only response the situation requires. The government must invest in resources for the Guyana Police Force which will assure support to and secure the mental well-being of the men and women tasked with 'service and protection' in times such as these. This should be a priority.
In the short term, the police force needs grief and support counselling for all of its members who were affected by Monday's tragedy and their families. The $1 million promised to the families of policemen who die in the line of duty can ease the financial burden, but it does not help with the pain. In the long term, perhaps there could be the formation of a squad of police officers trained in crisis intervention and counselling. These officers would not only administer to the needs of their own in crises, but could also deal with victims of rape and domestic violence.
Not many of them will admit it, but undoubtedly policemen/women have been mentally and emotionally touched by what happened on Monday. They should not have to carry that burden alone.