THE current move by the Ministry of Home Affairs to revitalise and reorganise Community Policing Groups (CPGs) across the country is timely and a step in the right direction in the face of several serious crimes recently.
Getting communities involved and collaborating with the security forces is an imperative in today’s fight against the criminal enterprise because without this the battle is more difficult.
There are several advantages with this approach to crime fighting, especially as regards intelligence gathering, which is an essential tool, and enhancing cooperation and confidence between members of the community and the security forces.
In fact, criminals and their gangs have long used members of the community to provide them with logistical support and intelligence.
However, a major concern relates to the functioning and effective management of CPGs and this was recently acknowledged by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee.
At a recent retreat, one of several ongoing, Minister Rohee said the idea of hosting retreats at every police division was conceived after months of discussion on the ways through which the deficiencies in the community policing system can be corrected.
Special emphasis was made on the aspect of visibility as it relates to CPGs in and around the neighbourhoods.
Mr. Rohee explained that residents must see what CPG members are doing to make their communities safer, as this would guarantee their support, thereby strengthening the system.
The partnership approach to the crime fight is acknowledged as the ideal approach in both the developing and developed world and it is being increasingly employed with encouraging results.
Jose Docobo in an article, ‘Community Policing as the Primary Prevention Strategy for Homeland Security at the Local Law Enforcement Level’, in the Homeland Security Affairs journal of the United States, points out: “Traditionally, local law enforcement has concerned itself primarily with preventing and solving crimes such as burglary, theft, and robbery — crimes that have an immediate and visible impact on the local community and affect citizens quality of life. In the face of unknown future terrorist threats, however, local law enforcement organizations will have to adapt existing policing strategies to fulfill the requirement of homeland security.
“Over the years, law enforcement organizations have sought to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime in communities through the creation of effective partnerships with the community and other public and private-sector resources, the application of problem-solving strategies or tactics, and the transformation of agency organization and culture.”
Docobo further pointed out: “Rob Chapman and Matthew C. Scheider, senior analysts at the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), suggest that community policing could play an integral role in homeland security. They contend that by applying the principles of organizational change, problem solving, and external partnerships, community policing can help police to prepare for and prevent terrorist acts, and respond to the fear such threats engender. Community policing helps to build trust between the community and law enforcement, which allows officers to develop knowledge of the community and resident activity and can provide vital intelligence relating to potential terrorist actions.”
So, even the U.S., which perhaps has the most powerful police force in the world, both in terms of human and scientific/technological resources, is relying on the community-oriented approach in crime fighting.
Building on this initiative in Guyana is without doubt a worthy endeavour and all stakeholders should get involved.