The Guyana Bar Association has finally weighed in on the video circulating on social media involving a lawyer and a police rank. In a statement the body said that the video has come to the attention of the Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana. The Bar Council said that it holds its members to the highest standards of ethics and conduct and implores them to conduct themselves, at all times, in a manner befitting that of our most noble and esteemed profession.
“We take note of the report as published in the September 14, 2018 edition of the Guyana Chronicle Newspaper that the matter in issue is under investigation and therefore refrain at this time from making any comment thereon. We trust that the said investigation will include the circumstances surrounding the recording, publication and sharing of the video,” the Council said.
The Council said too that it takes this opportunity to inform the general public, that a motorist can only be stopped by a uniformed police officer for due cause if he has formed the reasonable suspicion in his mind that an offence has been committed. That is, the police officer must have formed a reasonable suspicion in his mind of an offence prior to stopping the motorist. The officer is under a duty to identify himself and inform the motorist of the alleged offence. This is also in keeping with the Police Force’s published guidelines as reported in the Guyana Chronicle Newspaper of January 21, 2016 and other media outlets. A motorist is entitled to know the name, rank and identification number of the police officer and must comply with all lawful directions of the officer, the aforesaid duty being already discharged.
“We also put the general public on notice that the sharing and posting of such recordings on social media or in any such domain could give rise to the issue of the publication and sensationalism of obscene material for which they could be held liable,” the Council added.
