Ethnic Diversity and Police-Community Relations in Guyana

From its inception during the colonial period, the Guyana Police Force has always been plagued by its inability to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the community it is mandated to serve. This shortcoming, combined with the early adoption of a military model of policing, has helped to create a legacy of poor police-community relations which continues to plague the country's security sector. The recent recommendations of the Disciplined Forces Commission (Georgetown, Guyana, 2004) on the subject of ethnic imbalances in the Force and the proper functions of community policing groups are critically reviewed.