By Devina Samaroo
Amid pomp and ceremony, Assistant Commissioner Brian Joseph bid his final farewell to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during a ceremonious passing parade at Durban Park today (2nd June 2017).
Joseph addressed the massive gathering of family members, fellow lawmen, government officials and other dignitaries including the Head of State, David Granger in an emotionally charged atmosphere.
The outgoing Police Commissioner expressed great sadness over his departure from the Force, but he was nonetheless looking forward to the new experiences in his life.
“In this new phase in my life, there are still goals unachieved from unrealised opportunities,” he stated.
He also reflected with appreciation on his years serving the country through the GPF. “I will not pretend that I am the first to experience this sadness that I feel to be leaving a body of men and women with whom I feel such a warm connection nor will I be the last. I will be in an unfamiliar limbo.”
Joseph explained, “when I joined the GPF so many years ago, it was never my expectation that I would become so connected to so many people both in and out of the organisation. The experiences and memories have been humbling.”
He also charged other members of the force to continue to strive for excellence.
“I do not profess to be a wordsmith but I would admonish every one of you who aspire to high office in whatever field of endeavor you chose to make your career, but more particularly, to you as law enforcement officers, you should strive to be informed, dedicated, hard-working, knowledgeable and dependable.”
Joseph added, “I wish to thank you for being steadfast whilst performing with dedication, professionalism and courage in difficult circumstances. Continue to work selflessly with zeal and zest for the people of great nation.”
Joseph was born on 26th August, 1962 and joined the GPF at 19 years old in 1982 after completing his secondary education.
His stint at the Felix Austin Police College however was short lived, due to a spate of minor crimes being committed on visitors on Main Street. This saw him being posted to the Tactical Services Unit to perform duties out of the Water Street Duty Center in plain clothes. He was subsequently transferred to the Prime Ministerial Guard in 1985 where he served until 1995 under late Presidents Desmond Hoyte and Dr Cheddi Jagan.
His employment experience within the GPF was met with a number of successes in command posts spanning A, B, D and G Divisions. But none were more successful than his tenure as Traffic Officer between 2011 – 2-13. During this tenure, the GPF saw the lowest accident figures in almost half a century since in 2012 with 1,638 accident occurrences and the lowest figures in fatal accidents in 26 years with 102 occurrences.
