The police force must be reoriented to serve the citizenry rather than its current role based often on violent confrontation, Guyana Human Rights Association(GHRA) Co-President Mike McCormack told the Disciplined Forces Commission yesterday.

But Commissioner David Granger had his doubts: “Given the role of police work in Guyana, which involves a variety of functions such as quelling unrest and the deployment of the police to the borders... Is it realistic to civilianise the military section of the force...?”

“To the extent that it may be emergencies of international character, like incursions, we are not sure if the training of the police is effective...” McCormack responded.

“But...,” said Granger in his cross-examination, “...the point I’m making is that it may be premature to demilitarise the police force. It ignores the complexity of the police duty.”

He cited the Surinamese intrusion in the New River Triangle in the late 1960’s as an example where police were deployed to deal with illegal immigration and told McCormack that situations could arise where they had to engage illegal aliens in armed conflict.

McCormack considered that such situations more required military operations than police.

Although he also conceded that extreme situations might warrant the need for a reserve force, he maintained the GHRA’s main concern was that the police force needed to be oriented to service instead of force.

The GHRA, in its submission to the Commission (set-up by Parliament to review the operations of the disciplined forces), recommends changing those aspects of the force that make it militaristic. Under the Police Act the force is responsible for the suppression of internal disturbances and can be employed as a military force.

But the GHRA says these provisional duties have over time turned it into a militia incapable of civilian policing.

“Do you know that a study of policing in Guyana would show a recurring phenomenon of criminal violence, or civil violence?” Granger asked. He such said violent interludes like those which resulted after the suspension of the Constitution in 1953 even led to the creation of a Police Central Emergency Force, the precursor of the modern Tactical Services Unit. Accordingly, he said it might be better to have the force trained for when the need arose rather than be caught off-guard.

But McCormack was critical of the police response to the continuing violent disturbances, pointing out that 145 people were killed between 1980-1995 at an annual average of 9.6 persons a year. Between 1996-2003 (June) the GHRA found that 142 persons had been killed by police at an annual average of 20 a year.

He said comparatively in Northern Ireland, 53 civilians were killed by police and 294 by the army over the period 1996-2003 (June) at an annual average of 9.5 persons a year. In this year alone, between January and June, 20 people have been killed by the police and 13 by the army.

“Once the police force is allowed to play both [civil and military] roles it would continue to result in an unsatisfactory situation like we’ve had over the last eighteen months...”

“Should not the weapons used by police fit the threat with which they are confronted?” Granger asked, referring to the GHRA’s recommendation that battlefield weapons should not be used for policing purposes.

“We cannot find circumstances where battlefield weapons are to be used for civilian operations. If you did not have those weapons you might have to find other ways to starve people out. At the moment fighting fire with fire is the only strategy... and what it is doing is producing a lot of deaths.”

McCormack said the GHRA’s recommendations might not be possible in the short term but it would be possible once there was a commitment to a different type of policing, “...and within a decade you may be able to get the kind of structure that we’ve been talking about...”

Rockliffe Pitt, a private citizen also testified at yesterday’s hearing.

The Commission, which began public hearings on August 18th is giving priority to its review of the police force and will submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Assembly in November. Justice of Appeal Ian Chang chairs the Commission, which also includes former National Security Advisor Brigadier (rtd) Granger; former Attorney General Charles Ramson SC; attorney-at-law Anil Nandlall; and Irish Human Rights Activist, Maggie Beirne.