Georgetown: With almost daily reports of a woman being maimed at the hands of her spouse, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on Friday told the Guyana Police Force (GPF) that they need to do more to curb this alarming scourge.
The Minister said he is dissatisfied with the posture being adopted by some officers to reports of domestic violence and reminded officers of the investments made in remodeling Police stations to make victims more comfortable in reporting their complaints. Rights groups here have been outraged at the number of domestic violence cases over the years, and despite tough legislative reforms, the attacks on women continue.
Speaking at the opening of a Junior Officers’ training Course at Police Headquarters on Friday, Rohee revealed that there has been an average of 4825 reports of domestic violence annually over the past five years.
He said his Ministry is not fully satisfied, stating that more could not be done at Police stations to treat reports of domestic violence.
Rohee told the Police that analysis also shows that for 2011, in only three out of every 10 reports made were the offenders charged; for 2012, the data indicated that five out of every 10 reports saw offenders charged; and in 2013, six out of every 10 reports saw the prosecution of offenders.
“What we have observed from these statistics is that increases in the charge rates correspond to declining numbers of offences reported. While recognising that they might be many other variables at play, we have inferred from this analysis that when the Police are firm in their response to domestic violence, it helps in reducing the proliferation of this offence by sending clear signals that domestic abuse will not be condoned.”
Noting that while it is understood that the handling of reports of domestic violence can on occasions, be difficult, Minister Rohee said he believes that sufficient training has been provided to members of the Force to respond to reports of domestic violence.
Further, he reminded the officers that 18 Police stations were remodelled by the Home Affairs Ministry under the Citizen Security Programme. The total cost of this investment was $296.6 million. A key feature of the remodelling of Police stations was the construction of special rooms for victims of domestic violence to make their reports in a comfortable, confidential and user-friendly environment. “You are encouraged to make sure that the citizens of Guyana, particularly those who are victims of intra-familial violence, get value for money’s investment in this project.”
Touching on the training course, Rohee said that training at all levels of the Force is pivotal to the long- and short-term sustainability of the GPF. “My Ministry, not being unmindful of the need for training in the Force, has over the years, provided full support to successive Commissioners of Police in their Training Programmes. This policy by my Ministry will continue,” the Minister said.
Rohee has observed with satisfaction that the policy of the Force to facilitate the participation of members of the other Services on this type of training course has continued. “I believe that it is necessary that this arrangement should be sustained because the Government of Guyana believes that the Disciplined Services should engage in joint training and operations to build capacity and promote the concept of collaboration and cooperation. These types of training initiatives would also allow for members of the Services to appreciate the way each agency functions and provide opportunities for the sharing of experiences,” Rohee said.
In any event, he said because of the way this training course has been structured, where the inputs of the University of Guyana and other institutions have been sourced to compile the modules, “I believe that, individually, each of you participants, will gain tremendous benefit at the conclusion of the training.”
The Home Affairs Minister told the young officers that they are being trained at a time when many issues relating to law enforcement, especially policing, have been attracting the attention of citizens of Guyana. He said citizens at the moment are looking forward to the provision of better services by the Guyana Police Force and other law enforcement agencies
You must be logged in to post a comment.