High-tech surveillance – Gov’t considering use of drones to combat piracy

FOLLOWING the recent pirate attack, the David Granger-led administration is considering employing drone technology to monitor Guyanese waters.A well-placed source has revealed to the Guyana Chronicle that at a recent high-level meeting involving senior government officials, the issue was discussed and the government will be pursuing discussions with their Surinamese counterparts to partner on the effort.

The use of drone surveillance technology is reportedly expensive and the government is keen on exploring a cost-sharing mechanism with Guyana’s eastern neighbour in an effort to provide high-tech surveillance of the two countries’ international waters as part of a joint effort principally to tackle piracy which, after several months of quietude,has recently resurfaced.

Surveillance drones employ similar technology to consumer drones which are becoming popular in Guyana, but are much larger, fly undetected in the skies and are outfitted with powerful cameras which are able to take video footage and photographs.

This could aide authorities in the early detection of suspicious vessels operating in the area and security personnel can be alerted and pursue these vessels before pirates are able to execute attacks on fishing boats.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the government is also making plans to move the MV Tamakay to the Atlantic waters off the Corentyne region. The MV Tamakay is currently birthed in the Waini region, where piracy has not been an issue.

The Guyana Police Force will also deploy a specially outfitted vessel to the Corentyne to be on constant patrol of the waters where piracy has been most prevalent in recent years.

The mandatory installation of transponders on fishing vessels is also being mulled, along with a consideration to issue firearm licences to boat operators on the condition that the firearms are used exclusively for protection on the high seas and that they are lodged at the nearest police station once the boats return to shore.

Five pirates were last week charged with the murder of fisherman, Hemchand Sukdeo.
They are 19-year-old Stephan Leacock of Lot 366 #77 Village; 23-year-old Ramchan Latchman, of #65 Village; Leon Sammy, 29, of Lot 1 #75 Village; Ganesh Naidoo, 41 of #79 Village and Ramesh Singh, 53 of Liverpool Village, all on the Corentyne Coast.
It is alleged that on May 28, the five men attacked three fishing vessels in the Lower Shell Area off Nickerie, Suriname. In the aftermath of the attack, 45-year- old Hemchand Sukdeo, known as “Dread” of #55 Village, was discovered in a seine with wounds to the head.
Police acting on information from the captain of one of the hijacked boats, Seepersaud Persaud, of Corriverton, were able to detain a boat matching the description of the one used during the attack and the five men were on board at the time. It was also alleged that one of the men confessed to the act during interrogation.

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