By Leroy Smith

THE Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force yesterday commissioned a renovated Records Section at the CID Headquarters, which is now outfitted with brand new computers, printers and furniture, and is now able to store incoming data electronically with immediate effect.

This upgrade has been the brainchild of the Zara Group of Companies, which, over the past five years, has been investing heavily in the information technology needs of the Guyana Police Force.

With immediate effect, any case jacket that engages the attention of the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters will be stored in the computerised system for easy retrieval, in addition to being stored in hard copy.

The ZARA Group yesterday handed over to the CID eight complete computer systems, one server and routers; and Naresh Singh, computer consultant with the Zara Group of Companies, said the new system will allow any authorised person from the CID Registry to instantly identify every crime folder that comes into the system, once the information would have been put into the computer. The computers are all linked with four terabytes.

Singh said the system is a very simple one and would not be strenuous for the persons working in the system, since the tables are already within the system and all persons would be required to do would be to input the data in the respective columns.

The media was told that with regard to the records which have been logged into ledger books, the police would have to devise a strategy to have the names, offences and other data inputted into the system, so that the department can become completely computerised.

Singh said the Guyana Police Force has a long way to go in terms of computerising the entire system, but software already presented to the GPF can provide the police with instant information on persons with just the entry of their National Identification Card numbers. It is also possible to use the system by means of smartphones

Additionally, he said, the system would help tremendously with the processing of police clearances, for which there usually are long queues and a waiting period of several days.

The system would also assist new detectives and/or investigators when picking up cases from other ranks who may have left the system or have been transferred. They can follow what obtained during a particular case just by accessing the system.

Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, in remarks, said that the process to have the computerised system at the department stemmed from a visit to the department from a member of the ZARA Group, who saw the huge files that were stacked on the desks and staff constantly writing.
A discussion was entered into, and approval was sought and granted for the group to bring their solution to making the work of the department much lighter, and operations of the department more effective and efficient.

The Zara group calls the initiative a “Work smart not hard” initiative.

Blanhum explained that the initiative is indeed a huge help to the department, since the trafficking that files go through is tremendous, given the various departments one file would have to go to; and each time a file returns to the CID Headquarters, the information that is added to it by each department would have to be recoded in ledger books by the staff before it goes on to the next location.

Blanhum anticipates even more assistance coming from the group in the future, as he spoke of the intentions of the Criminal Investigation Department to continue working with the ZARA Group of Companies.

Vice-President of the Zara Group of Companies, Jay Sobhraj, noted that the most important part of all that was done at the Criminal Investigation Department with respect to the computerising of the system was its maintenance. Putting in the infrastructure was easy, he admitted.

He said that if the information is not placed into the system, the entire process could, and would, be determined a failure. He stressed that, in the United States, everything is linked; and the reason it works is because the information is fed into the system. He said that is the approach that needs to be adopted here in Guyana with respect to the CID Headquarters.

He said the work that the Zara Group has been doing with the Guyana Police Force over the years is tremendous. He said the first project was establishing a computer centre in Berbice, then in Essequibo, followed by Georgetown.

He said the group embarked on that programme with the understanding that the centres would be open to the public, so that persons from the various communities who do not have access to information technology training would be able to benefit.

Assistant Police Commissioner Balram Persaud, who is performing the duties of Commissioner of Police, told the gathering that the ZARA Group has been a true friend of the Police Force, as the group has understood the challenges the GPF faces and has assisted in moving the GPF from one point to another.

He commended the Zara Group for not only its material assistance, but also educational assistance with the establishment of the centres of excellence, where information technology training is conducted.
Persaud said the initiatives have eased the burden from the police, and assists in encouraging persons to move away from criminal intentions.

Persaud explained that, because of the new direction in which the Guyana Police Force is going, it is very important for members of the Force to be computer literate, as it makes operation of the Force smoother, and paves the way for a “Work smart and not hard” approach.

He said that, based on studies which are available, an overwhelming amount of paper work in any office raises the stress level of those persons who have to deal with same; and if one can get away from that burden, it would take the stress level down.