‘Every Officer must be trained’ – Dr. Vindhya Persaud on domestic violence reports

Amid recent tragedies, Guyana’s Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, emphasised that all Police Officers must undergo training to respond better to domestic violence reports.

In 2021, Dr. Persaud launched the COPSQUAD initiative to provide specialised training to ranks on how to address domestic violence. Since then, many officers have been trained, and the Human Services Minister believes that those ranks are now more proactive.

However, Dr. Persaud acknowledged recent reports of Police lapses. So, she told reporters on Tuesday, that efforts are being made to ensure that every officer gets this training and that such engagement efforts continue throughout their careers.

“It will be a work in progress,” she said.

The top brass of the Guyana Police Force is being engaged so that the training can be integrated into the Police Academy curriculum. Dr. Persaud said she is also advocating for credits for domestic violence training so that ranks are continuously engaged.

The minister’s comments came days after it was reported that Linden teacher, Jenel Pollydore, was killed by her ex-partner. The young mother of three faced constant abuse from her ex-partner, Shaka Phillips. The young woman left Phillips and got a restraining order, which was reportedly violated on multiple occasions. Though Police reports were made, relatives believe there was much inaction.

On Saturday night, Phillips shot and killed Pollydore while attending a wedding reception at the R & R Hotel located in Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

Minister Persaud said this situation was an outright tragedy and even revealed that Pollydore had been receiving support from the Human Services Ministry.

“We’re seeing too many cases of this happening,” Dr. Persaud lamented, noting that all stakeholders from the Police to those in the Courts must work together to end the scourge.