By Dale AndrewsThere have been troubling claims of political influence and interference in the affairs of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) which if they are to be addressed require a marked cultural shift at all levels, one that emphasises the independence and professionalism of a police service vis-?-vis one identified it as an instrument of the current government of the day. Be that as it may,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, it is the right of every citizen to demand that all officers and other ranks remain impartial when dealing with candidates, and campaigners for political parties, regardless of any perceived personal loyalty and/or feelings of gratitude for promotion or security of tenure or any other similar factor. This requirement also effectively forbids any police officer from attempting to influence the vote of ranks under his/her control, and minimizes exposure to criticisms of favouring one party over another.It goes without saying that the GPF administration and individual members are prohibited from issuing press releases, brochures, leaflets, adverts,Nike Tns Wholesale, newsletters, use of the Force’s website and its social media networks or stage any event which may be interpreted as designed to affect public support for a political party.With public trust at an all-time low, the police administration needs to do all it can to restore public confidence and trust in the police role during this elections period. Failure to act decisively in this regard may be taken as a deliberate and accurate reflection of the true intent of the police force.The police should, however, be in attendance at the briefing for candidates and agents to be thoroughly in the loop as it relates to a joint approach in reinforcing expectations of conduct by those standing for election and their agents.On the other hand, political party representatives should caution prospective voters that it is illegal conduct to engage in transactions including the selling of their national identification cards or acceptance of inappropriate hospitality or other inducement for the immoral purpose of vote-buying.Having said that, it is incumbent on the police to demonstrate by their very presence that expected standards of conduct must be adhered to and respected.Sadly,Cheap NFL Jerseys Store, although citizens can make demands with the reasonable assumption that they will at least be heard and some effort (no matter how minimal) might be made to address expressed concerns, the same cannot be said for the responsiveness (or lack thereof) of the political parties.It has been shown that parties in power will use the advantage of incumbency to be re-elected.? Guyanese are not oblivious to the timing of announcements of proposed major projects in this pre-election period, nor are they ignorant of the abuse of state resources for electioneering purposes by public officials which in some places are prohibited by law.The GPF is in a unique situation of being accountable not simply to civilian authority,Air Max 97 Undefeated Uk, but to the laws of Guyana.? Paradoxically, although that is as it should be, the police have very little latitude or capacity in initiating investigations into electoral malpractices of senior public officials,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, or in dealing with elections-related investigations.? This situation collides with the police role in the electoral process which is to ensure that the elections are conducted lawfully in a safe and secure environment, free of intimidation for people exercising their constitutional and democratic rights.A few of the lessons learned from the experiences in other countries might be applicable in the Guyana context namely: (1) the senior command structure must be actively engaged in discussing issues of police concern in the planning process; (2)educate the police about their responsibilities during an election with due consideration to the officer level, specific responsibilities and the complexity of the situation; (3) draft educational material with reference to elements at (2) above, and consistent with the need to know; (4) utilize the train-the-trainer approach which develops and tests possible election-based scenarios of what might happen; (5) keep training material simple,Cheap Jerseys For Sale, short, focused and applicable to the rank level for which it is intended.? A pocket-book format with pertinent instructions for frontline ranks has been found useful. But this does not invalidate face-to-face briefings; (6) the police administration must actively demonstrate support for the role of the police in a democratic society; (7) members of the police command hierarchy must fully understood their r