| In the wake of the robbery and murder of Dweive Kant Ramdass at the hands of three Coast Guard Ranks, Guyana Defence Force Chief-of-Staff Commodore Gary Best reassured members of civil society organisations and Regional authorities in Bartica in Region 7 and Anna Regina in Region 2, that, despite the horrific occurrence of three weeks ago, the Force remains committed to the safety and well-being of all citizens and Guyana as a whole.The army Chief was accompanied by the Commander, GDF Coast Guard and other Senior Officers of the Force. In addition, the Commanders of the Police Divisions of the two Regions were present at the respective meetings.The Chief-of-Staff reiterated to the stakeholders that the actions of the three rouge soldiers in no way reflect the character of the GDF. He once again asked the residents of the communities, and all Guyana, to forgive the Force for not having detected sooner, from among its ranks, the men, whose criminal actions have brought so much pain to the family, relatives and friends of the slain man, the communities, the Force, and all of Guyana.Arising from discussions during the meetings, were a series of issues which ranged from improper and unprofessional conduct of military and police ranks stationed in the riverain locations, to the need for corrective procedures and processes to be implemented to ensure a greater degree of professionalism by the military and police ranks stationed in those areas. Residents and regional representatives called for the superiors of the junior ranks who are usually on duty to execute greater oversight of their subordinates.While the stakeholders called for a higher degree of accountability by the GDF and the Police the Chief-of-Staff and the GDF were commended for taking ownership of the incident that occurred instead of trying to shift the blame elsewhere.The residents said that it was very praiseworthy that the GDF did the honourable thing by assisting Ramdass’s relatives and for being open and honest with them. The leadership of the Force was also praised for its efforts to ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous crime were brought to justice.Regional authorities asked their civic partners to be careful in their attitudes toward the Force and urged them to remember that there are many other good men and women who continue to serve honourably within the Force.Addressing the concerns raised by the stakeholders, the Chief-of-Staff explained the operations of the Coast Guard and issued copies of the Standing Operating Procedures and the Coast Guard Act of 1990.Best reiterated that the Coast Guard has civil powers on the waterways of Guyana, but no member of the GDF has civil powers on land. He emphasised that army ranks perform two distinct duties; the first of which is their defence duty and the second, being security duty. He stressed that when on jungle patrols in the far reaches of the interior and on the borders they engage in defence duties.Security duties, he said, are performed when the GDF is working in support of the Police. “When the soldiers perform security duties, they will be involved in Joint Services operations where they are asked by the police to provide support. That supporting role requires them only to provide a safe environment in which the police are to carry out their functions. They may not act independently,Nike NFL Jerseys For Sale,” he said. “They are not there to carry out policing functions. That is for the police to do,” he added.The Chief-of-Staff further explained that when a safe environment exists, the police can do their work and the soldiers need not be there. He indicated that Coast Guard uniforms will, in future, bear name tags and that the ranks will be required to have in their possession their identification cards. Members of the public will thus be able to immediately indentify the ranks.He explained that the Coast Guard’s number one mission is safety and in playing this role, the Guard will have safety inspectors at loading/embarkation and off-loading/disembarkation points. The Chief-of-Staff expressed satisfaction at the frankness of the residents and said that systems will be implemented to facilitate more frequent and direct communication with them so that potential issues of discord could be addressed more swiftly.The Commanding Officer Coast Guard expressed his disgust and deep regret at the unfortunate incident and assured the stakeholders that what transpired was not a part of Coast Guard training. He assured them that the Coast Guard will be working assiduously to restore the confidence of the community and asked for their cooperation in assisting the Coast Guard in executing its duties.The GDF has since published in the print media the Coast Guard Standing Operating Procedures for the benefit of the general public, and, in particular, small boat operators who ply the country’s waterways. |
