The Modern Police Station
IN KEEPING with its motto of Service and Protection, the Guyana Police Force maintains a permanent presence, with police stations and outposts in all of the communities in the country. The level varies, depending on a number of factors, including geography and demographics. They serve the critical purposes of security and keeping the peace, providing the necessary comfort level for citizens.
Most of these stations were established many years ago, but with the passage of time, it was recognised that a new dispensation, in terms of their operations, was needed, given the changing nature of criminal activities and issues in society.
This requires a significant injection of resources, which was addressed to some extent by the Citizen Security Programme. A major component of this US$22M project is the Institutional Modernisation of the Guyana Police Force under which a number of police stations were remodelled and reorganised to satisfy modern police techniques and work.

In the initial phase, six stations in Region Six  (East Berbice/Corentyne) and six in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) were targeted, whereby major changes in their operations were introduced.
Apart from physical rehabilitation, several new features were added. These include new facilities and rooms that are more conducive for interviewing persons making complaints, and for those who have been accused and arrested.
There are also separate rooms for women who go to make complaints and reports on domestic violence and rape. These were previously done in the open areas that were not appropriate.
In addition, these remodelled stations are now fitted with special identification parade rooms with one-way screens.  These are important for ensuring the protection of victims’ identities in the course of an identification parade. Their privacy is also preserved through the provision of separate entrances to the rooms.
At these stations, aggrieved persons would have experienced some sense of security and built trust in the police, knowing that their names and faces will not be exposed to criminals that they are reporting against.
Among other facilities are computer rooms for case management. These are manned by dedicated policemen and women who are responsible for electronically documenting all reports.
More importantly, these reports are automatically fed into the National Data Centre at Force Headquarters as real-time information, which allows for immediate access to information that can inform decisions at the highest level.
In addition to the initial 12 police stations, the CSP is presently undertaking the remodelling of another six in other parts of Region Four.
The efficient management and operation of these stations have been supported and enhanced through the Comprehensive Training Programme conducted by the Emergence Group. Through this training, ranks have been exposed to a number of areas in crime fighting and detection and skills to interact more with citizens.
This aspect of the CSP’s institutional modernisation of the GPF is part of the strategic approach to bring about changes in the architecture of national and community security.