Guyana Observer News

Henry Greene's Performance as C.O.P does not merit an extension

Sunday, 19 April 2009

Editorial:

Over the past several weeks, there has been much buzz in the news about whether the tenure of the current Commissioner of Police will be extended or not. As we are well aware, Henry Greene the current office holder holder, was confirmed as Commissioner of Police at the beginning of 2009 after acting in that position since the departure of Winston Felix on pre-retirement leave in July 2006. The President has made no secret that he is pleased with the performance of Green since he assumed the role of top Cop. Certainly it is no secret to the vast majority of the population, whether most of them care to admit so or not, what it is about Greene’s performance as Commissioner that has endeared him to the leader of the PPP and its sycophant assembly. That performance, replete with human rights abuses, torture and death to people who belong to that population group in Guyana that traditionally voted against the PPP, seem to be exactly what Green’s minders were expecting from him. So sure, why shouldn’t the President be pleased with his tenure?
Henry Greene was part of a batch of Policemen whose academic qualifications earned them accelerated appointments to the rank of Cadet Officer in the Guyana Police Force. However, his performance as a Corporal in charge of Paruima Police Station and other locations prior to his elevation, was without noteworthy distinction. There is a barrack-room grapevine in the Guyana Police Force where members are recognized for their abilities as “good policemen”, someone who “know police work”. Such recognition comes from the ranks in question being very knowledgeable about their duties; fully conversant with the procedures governing Police Duties and Powers, and capable of commanding and running a Police Station efficiently. Names like Paul Slowe, Clinton Conway, Ulric London, Amir Khan et al, were frequently presented as conversation around the domino table in Barrack rooms across the country addressed the topic of who was a “good policeman”. The performance of Henry Greene prior to becoming a Cadet Officer was never of a level to merit inclusion among this lot.
Winston Felix, who was very well respected by members of the force incurred the enmity of the political directorate in Guyana when he went after Roger Khan. Khan had virtually been given carte blanche to commit any crime he desired, as long as he committed to use paid killers to hunt down and kill young black men in order to provide some kind of cathartic relief to PPP supporters overwhelmed with fear over violent crime. Khan took out a full page newspaper ad in which he claimed to have been involved in crime fighting and protecting the political tenure of the PPP. That he has since pled guilty to multiple counts of drug trafficking in the US amounts to a serious indictment of all of those with whom he was associated, and vindication of Commissioner Felix for getting on his trail. But since Felix did refused to be selective in whom the police went after for crimes, any possibility of an extension for him was out of the question. Henry Greene, well that’s a whole different kettle of fish
From the time Henry Greene took over the position from Felix, by his actions, he left no doubt that he would be providing the kind of policing that endeared him to the political directorate in Guyana. He would terrorize the citizens of Buxton and convert that village into South America’s equivalent of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He would use lethal force as a priority against anyone the political directorate pointed its fingers at and accused of committing crimes. He would Sowetized black communities, rounding up black youths and passing them through the criminal justice system in accordance with his masters’ prejudiced and stereotyped judgment that they would grow into criminality. Henry Greene style of policing would have had him before the courts in the US today, but earning accolades in the deep South during the 50s and 60s. In a nutshell, his was a pavlovian response to political red meat being flung at him and law enforcement, and like Pavlov’s creatures, they did not disappoint in terms of the expectations of those conducting the experiment.
There is a lot of grumbling and complaining among Officers in the force over the possibility of Greene’s tenure being extended. For one thing, it would mean that those who are in line to move up would have their promotions delayed by this measure. There is also little doubt that the political directorate would like to keep Greene there until they could, with a minimum of justification, replace him with someone they consider ethnically appropriate for the position. However, for the citizens of Guyana in whose perception Greene was a tool for the political and ethnic oppression of Guyanese of African descent, his departure cannot be soon enough. He has presided over the worse spate of police killings in the history of Guyana. He has presided over a force that quickly arrested or killed suspects when the victims belonged or were associated with the camp of the PPP, but reacted tepidly when the victims were black or associated with the opposition. From Ronald Waddell to the Sister of Fineman, Henry Greene’s police have been blatantly selective in the crimes they showed interest in solving. The political directorate had chosen well, and the certainly got their money’s worth.
We know that Henry Greene’s visitor and diplomatic visas were revoked by the United States of America under suspicion that he was associated with drug traffickers or drug trafficking. Whether the reasons for the revocation has standing or not is subjective, and Greene has denied any involvement in such activities. But Greene’s performance as Commissioner of police has to be lowest in the history of the Commonwealth Caribbean. He allowed himself and the Guyana Police Force to used as a private political army to terrorize, brutalize, torture and abuse one particular segment of the citizenry. Augustus Pinochet met his judicial waterloo years after the crimes and abuses he presided over had been committed. A couple of weeks ago, Fujimori of Peru was found guilty of using vigilantes to murder, torture and abuse criminal suspects in his war on crime and terror. There is little reason to doubt that the same kind of justice awaits Greene and his political bosses down the road. The foregoing renders any expressed sentiment about an extension for him as an exercise in the superfluous.

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