STAKEHOLDERS and supporters of the Guyana Police Force in the Police “A” Division last week formed themselves into a steering committee which would be meeting monthly to address issues in the various sectors.

The meeting, attended by ‘A’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken, Deputy Commander Dion Moore, and other senior ranks of the division, saw an attendance of close to two hundred persons, representing the various communities. There were persons from the business and religious communities, station management committee representatives, sub divisional officers of the various police divisions in “A” Division, community policing representatives, and persons who do work with young people.

The gathering was reminded of a proposal to have a central monitor into which all homes and business CCTV cameras feed placed at a specific location where the live footage can be monitored round the clock.

A decision was taken to place the monitor in the Operations Room of the Police “A” Division. That area already houses a monitor that receives live feed from the Demerara Harbour Bridge, and is monitored by both the harbour bridge personnel and the police in the operations room.

Each group present was encouraged to nominate a representative to sit on the steering committee, who would be tasked with reporting to their various colleagues the decisions or deliberations of the committee. That person would likewise act as the liaison between the various groups and the Guyana Police Force.

Over the past three months, the police in “A” Division have been engaged in several meetings with the various stakeholder groups, where the broader objective was deliberated upon extensively before reaching to the point it did last week in the Brickdam Police Compound.

Speaking to the initiative, some of the persons gathered commended the move, and were supportive of the fact that they would be having representatives attending the meetings and then reporting on the outcomes of the meetings.

Prior to last week, the various stakeholder bodies were meeting as, approximately, three different groups monthly. When the committee is fully functional and its work begins, persons from their various stakeholder groups would be invited to a general meeting every two months.

With formation of the committee, the members will address the issues of crime and security, police cooperation and gelling with communities, community projects and activities to involve young people, and ways and methods which should be employed to further enhance the general safety of those living within the Police “A” Division.

Also of importance to the group would be the traffic situation, which is often an issue of contention whenever the police hold consultations with members of the public.
Written By Leroy Smith