Georgetown : Government will be deploying all of its resources and placing these at the disposal of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to fight crime, according to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
Addressing the media at his weekly post-Cabinet briefing today, the minister indicated that the decision follows a high-level meeting with security, law enforcement and joint services heads with Minister of National Security Khemraj Ramjattan and President David Granger. This has lead to the formulation of a draft strategy which, Minister Harmon said will, be “fleshed out and refined” by the national security minister and the police commissioner. He added that, “government has a strong resolve to root out crime”.
The announcement comes as there appears to be an upsurge in violent crimes across the country, and the recent high-level security meeting convened to address the issue, at the Ministry of the Presidency on July 7.
Government intends to address the crime issue on several fronts, Minister Harmon stated. The Administration of the GPF will be modified, allowing for more ranks to be placed on the roadways of various communities and freeing them from more of the day to day administrative duties. The aforementioned will see less ranks attending to “non core functions of the Guyana Police Force”, the minister said.
The response times to reported crimes and the effectiveness of the emergency 911 alert system will also come under “serious review”, he added.
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the minister indicated will be instituting stricter border controls. He opined that most of the violent crimes are driven by the flow of illegal guns across Guyana’s borders. These borders, the minister explained, are shared with countries which manufacture and sell small arms.
Government, it was stressed has a “zero tolerance” for the use of illegal firearms, and as such measures will be instituted to tackle this issue. The usage of police assets and equipment is also being addressed. This will see the deployment of air and maritime assets such as the Police Force’s Marine Wing, as well as horse and canine units into the law enforcement efforts against crime.
The capability of the force’s communication ability will be further improved via the use of computers, the internet and close circuit television cameras at strategic locations. Minister Harmon stated that the aim is to have all stations across the country linked, enabling real time information and communication, “Criminals have no place or no home. We will go after them relentlessly with every tool, every asset of the state. The criminals and their handlers will understand that the state will not sit idly by and allow them to run riot on the streets. We are sending a clear message to all and sundry that wherever the intelligence leads, we are going to follow it and there will be no sacred cows where this matter is concerned”.
