CHIEF Constable Andrew Foo is not too optimistic about having a full complement  this year but he is hoping that the City Constabulary of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will still have the more than the 160 ranks presently on the job. Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, by telephone yesterday, he said the full strength should be 234 although 314 have been budgeted for 2012.
“The number of officers for 2011 was grossly inadequate,” he acknowledged.
Among the constraints being experienced is the fact that many people are not applying to serve in the Constabulary and the majority of the applicants are women.
Foo said, to help solve this problem, schools may have to be targeted in an effort to identify the positives of the employment.
The Constabulary recently started an anti-littering campaign that reaped good results in arresting and charging people for dumping. However, due to staff shortage, the officers who were involved had to divert their attention to the elections and Christmas.
However, according to Foo, it will resume shortly with a three or four members team as it was devised to rid the city of litterbugs and officers in plain clothes were mandated to apprehend persons caught in the act.
The detectives are working in strategic locations, including Regent, Water and King Streets, as well as at Stabroek and Cuffy Squares.
Those caught littering will be arrested, placed before the Court and could be fined $7,500 and the initiative is intended to continue as “long as possible” and until there is a change in the habit of citizens with regards to litter, Deputy Chief Constable Mr. Trevor Merriman had told this newspaper.
He said the M&CC “is still hoping that one day” authorities will see the need to have its own Municipal Court so that the magistrates dos not have to be burdened with litter cases.
For the months of October and November alone, Merriman reported that 75 persons were prosecuted for the offence and placed before the Court. He said that number would have been much higher if the Constabulary was up to full strength.
Meanwhile, the Constabulary has reported that store owners are largely responsible for the garbage build-up in the capital.
The officers would, usually, pick up garbage in front of the stores between 14:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs but the problem arises when those businesses open beyond 16:00 hrs.
According to Merriman, the Council has found that many persons caught littering are working for businesses and mandated, by the owners, to illegally dump their litter.