HOME Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has underlined the importance of intelligence and technology in the fight against crime.
He made this exhortation last Friday during his address to Guyana Police Force (GPF) Officer’s Annual Conference at Police Officer’s Mess, Annexe, Eve Leary,
“I do not think that anyone in this audience would deny that a high level of performance is expected of the Force. To achieve such level of performance, you have to place emphasis on the use of Intelligence and Technology,” Rohee stressed.
He added that the GPF is operating in an environment where resources are scarce and where competing interests have been increasingly vying for those scarce recourses thus, the issue of value for money comes into focus.
“No longer can the police focus on merely preventing crime in the traditional way, “he urged.
He added that the use of technology by the criminals and the high expectations of the Public have forced Police Forces around the world to rethink their anti-crime strategies
Rohee said in this era, the police are required to play the lead role in ensuring that communities and neighbourhoods are safe by forging partnerships with community stakeholders.
In addition, to confronting traditional crimes, he said drug trafficking and other drug related incidents; the Police are required to confront sophisticated crimes such as cyber crime. Many Police Forces are scrambling to adjust to this new reality. The GPF should not allow itself to be caught unprepared for this phenomenon, he said.
Rohee noted that while the primary role of the police in Guyana is the preservation of law and order, the impact of changes in our society and technological advances which have affected patterns of criminality in the country would require the Force to correspondingly adjust its methodologies to meet these challenges.
He stated that policing has to be looked at from a holistic perspective and must be considered as functions as Law Enforcement officers as part of an entire process.
Rohee declared, “You can detect crime and prevent crimes from occurring but the sustainability of your efforts depends on other factors. For example:-
If better education is provided to citizens, there is less likelihood for persons to get involved in crime. This is so even when there are cases where educated persons get involved in white collar crimes. If better health care is afforded to citizens then we will have persons who can contribute to the development of the country. If there is development in the economy, more persons will get employment and a lesser number of persons will be involved in crime”.
The Minister observed that there is the need for interventions in all sectors of the economy including the social sector to ensure that the efforts of the police are sustainable. It therefore means that all sectors including the security sector have to consider whether the Public is getting value for the money spent in the specific sector.
He also took the opportunity to provide Police Officers with further enlightenment on:-
(1) The position of the Ministry as regards the focus that should be used to guide the GPF in its drive to improve the delivery of service to citizens of this country.
(2) The issues that are of concern to the Ministry.
(3) Efforts that are being made by the Ministry of Home Affairs to enable officers to function more effectively.
Action by the Ministry to Support the Work of the Police
In 2009, the Ministry of Home Affairs continued to provide the necessary inputs to enable the Police to perform in a more effective manner by taking the following steps:-
Improvement of Land and Water transport
In 2009, one hundred million dollars was expended by the Government to acquire Pickups, Trucks, Motor cycles and Boats and engines for the Force.

Acquisition of Equipment
In relation to the acquisition of equipment for the Force, in 2009, the sum of two hundred million dollars was spent to purchase a number of items. For example:-
$30.2 million dollars was spent to purchase equipment for the Forensic Laboratory;
$18.5 million dollars was allocated for the Crime Scenes Unit, the Ballistics Section, the Fingerprint Branch and Photographic Branch of the Force;
$23.3 million dollars was spent to acquire items for the Traffic Department;
$69.8 million dollars was spent to acquire protective gear, firearms and ammunition for the Force.

Maintenance of Buildings and Infrastructure
The sum of $250M was expended in 2009 to rehabilitate, construct and maintain 34 police stations, and other buildings and rehabilitate the fences of four compounds.

Crime
Rohee said that the GPF performance in managing crime in 2009 is acknowledged. He noted that he is aware of the statistics and the performance could be considered to be creditable but there are areas where there is the need for improvement.
Rohee told the gathering that “A” Division is still affected by too many street robberies, organized crimes and murders while gang related robberies in “B” Division in 2009 was of some concern.
He said that the re-emergence of theft of certain types of motor cars especially in “A” Division and the possible link of the perpetrators of this type of crime with criminal elements in “B” Division needs the attention of the Force.
Rohee added that the theft of cellular phones and the lap top computers have become too prevalent and would require more attention and the robberies and murders that have occurred in the mining districts need to be addressed.

Treating with Reports of Domestic Violence at Police Stations
Regarding this issue, Rohee said that so far he is satisfied with the way in which reports of Domestic Violence are being addressed at Police Stations.
He said, “I am informed that in many instances when complainants make their reports at some stations, they are told to return another day. This results in frustration and eventual non-cooperation by the victims. More effective ways should be found to investigate and finalise these complaints”.

Response Times to Reports
“The public in this country is generally law abiding and supportive of the Police. They depend on the Police to provide them with protection. Whenever, they make reports to the Police, especially in times of distress they expect that the Police would respond to their calls within a reasonable time.”
“Thus, if when they make their reports, they are rudely treated or told that the Police have no rank or vehicle to respond, it does not assist in the improvement of the confidence of the Public in the Force. The management of the Divisions have to monitor the way reports made at stations are responded to.”
“Merely, stating that you have set targets in terms of time, to respond to reports is not enough,” Rohee exhorted.

Crime Observatory
As part of the Citizen Security Program, a Crime Observatory has been established at the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the aim of acquiring and disseminating analytical data on crime and traffic to aid policymakers and management. The process commenced as a pilot project but has now been converted into a full pledged project.
In 2009, the project was not advanced to the desired level because of some amount of misunderstanding. I hope that the issues that have inhibited this exercise have now been resolved.
Use of Identification and Interview Rooms at Stations
As part of a continuing exercise under the Citizen Security Program, a number of Police Stations were remodeled to cater for better facilities to conduct interviews and identification parades.
Reports have been re
ceived that some of these facilities are not being utilized to maximum benefit. I hope that by now, corrective action has been taken.

Allegations of Police Misconduct
During 2009, a number of negative issues involving the conduct of members of the Force were brought to the attention of the Ministry, Rohee said.
He said, “While it is recognised that in any organisation there is every likelihood that a few deviants will find themselves among their staff, I think that the incidents of misconduct involving ranks were too many in 2009 and have to be addressed. These allegations included:- Financial impropriety, the mistreatment of prisoners, and corrupt practices.”
He said that these aspects of indiscretion by a few members of the Force have seriously affected the gains that have been made in the other aspects of police operations, particularly as it relates to its outreach programmes.
Rohee said that he is uncomfortable with this development and therefore call on all Officers and other supervisors of the Force to take steps to confront these serious challenges facing the organisation.