To improve public security…
MINISTER of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee told a press conference on Friday that the implementation of the Drug Strategy Master Plan is a work in process.
He added that arrangements have commenced for the formulation of a new five-year Drug Strategy Master Plan, to build on the work that commenced under the Drug Strategy Master Plan 2005-2009. Rohee said of 36 recommended programmes under the old plan, a total of 33 were implemented, 15 of which can be termed ‘ongoing’.
He also spoke of the modernization of the Ministry of Home Affairs; work has commenced by consultants, ‘The Emergence Group (TEG)’, on the modernization of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA).
He stated that the project involves the development of a strategic plan, the development of an internal control system, the development of an electronic document management system (EDMS), and the development of a communications and public relations strategy.
He added that the project is expected to be completed in 2011.
Rohee said, “In order to ensure that the Ministry has the physical facilities to cater for the implementation of the modernization project, the remodelling of the ministry has been conceptualized.  We are now at the design stage of that project”.

Crime Observatory
The minister said that early in the year 2010, he disclosed that the ‘Crime Observatory’ would have been launched and it was officially launched on March 24, 2010.
This entity is now referred to as the ‘Crime and Social Observatory’.
He added that the High Level Policy Committee of the ‘Crime and Social Observatory’, mindful of the fact that crime and violence have multiple causes, felt that crime prevention initiatives should be built on thorough analyses of crime trends, patterns and social factors that contribute to crime.  Thus, in order to identify the social correlates of crime, the committee took a decision to introduce the social component into the analyses, thus transforming the ‘Crime Observatory’ to a ‘Crime and Social Observatory’, so as to provide a better understanding of the social realities in communities.
Rohee noted that the general aim of the ‘Crime and Social Observatory’ is to contribute meaningfully to safer neighbourhoods, through the investigation and analysis of neighbourhood factors that impact on community safety and the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes to enhance citizens’ security.
In other words, the observatory, in addition to providing up-to-date and reliable information to law enforcement agencies, will influence social intervention, by the state.

CITIZENS SECURITY PROGRAMME
The activities of the Citizens Security Programme (CSP), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, continued during 2010. Some of the highlights of the programme include the completion of the comprehensive training programme for the Guyana Police Force (GPF); the force is now making plans for continuous training using the same methodology imparted by the consultants.
The strategic plan for the Force has been completed and is now under review.
Rohee said the three other areas of the modernization of the Guyana Police Force – Results-Oriented Planning Model, Electronic Document Management System, and the Integrated Crime Information System – are still being addressed and could be considered as “work in progress”.
Work has commenced on the construction of a new training facility for the force, at Eve Leary.
And tenders are out for the construction of the modern laboratory to be housed at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen campus.
Also, under the Citizens Security Programme, a Strategic Plan was developed and approved for the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).  That plan is now under active consideration for implementation.

Community Action Component – Citizens Security Programme
The minister added that the Community Action Component of the Citizens Security Programme is considered to be an important sub-component of the programme, and the objectives of this aspect of the programme include the promotion of safe neighbourhoods.
The interventions under the Community Action Component are designed to provide economic opportunities and safe recreational facilities for young people.  Under this component, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Citizen Security Programme Project Implementation Unit (CSP-PIU) seek to tackle the issue of crime and violence with the involvement of residents of the communities to ensure their continuing participation and commitment to supporting community safety projects.  Dubbed the “Softer Component”, the Community Action Component allows the ministry to have a “balanced approach” to improving community safety.
Rohee stated that as part of the interventions, skills training programmes have commenced in the country’s ten administrative regions, with a total of three hundred youths being trained.  In addition to providing skills for employment and entrepreneurship, the programme also caters for training in violence prevention, mentoring, and the suppression of anti-social behaviour.
He noted that communities are in the process of identifying “rapid impact projects” aimed at benefitting communities targeted by the programme.
The minister said the PIU is currently streamlining plans to implement a menu of measures aimed at preventing crime and enhancing awareness of the need for safety in communities.
Further, Rohee said, the Community Action Council Board and the CSP-PIU have developed a conceptual road-map towards the realization of safer communities and their analysis is that this aspect of the project is proceeding well.

‘Houses of Justice’
Rohee said the ministry, through the Citizens Security Programme, is providing support to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, in a collaborative way, for the establishment of ‘houses of justice’ in 25 communities, across the country.
He explained that the House of Justice an innovative initiative that introduces a novel approach to conflict resolution, by bringing together, under the same roof, institutions in charge of imparting justice and providing critical social services.
The House of Justice is envisioned to function as an integrated, multi-agency service centre that addresses pressing community, social, and justice needs, and improves access to conciliation and other critical government services by low-income people, so as to help resolve their everyday differences and challenges in accessing critical government services.
He added that Houses of Justice will be located within communities, and will aim to quickly resolve cases through conciliatory routes rather than through the formal judicial system. This high-speed approach will increase access to justice, and remove any frustration citizens may perceive in obtaining social and legal services.
“This initiative, along with several other interventions undertaken in the sector, will form part of the modern social infrastructure to improve public security,” Minister Rohee said.