Mr. HARRY Gill in his September 18, 2013 letter “APNU’s obsession with Rohee putting Guyanese security at risk” invited suggestions on improving security in the country. Here’s my contribution:
It is my observation that the crux of most problems in Guyana, especially in the public sector, lies with the placing of inept personnel in management positions.  These managers come from the ranks and owe their appointments to seniority considerations rather than performance accomplishments and as such bring no new ideas to the job. They are there to maintain the status quo, in effect marching in place. But, there are exceptions. Whenever I visit GRA’s VAT Office, I’m always impressed by the

supervisor, Ms. Wilson, who is active on the floor, anticipating problems and effecting workable solutions. Yes, that is what managers are supposed to do – identify problems and fix them.
In Guyana, one problem is that crime is on the rise and few, even when brought before the courts, are convicted. I’m usually taken aback by the number of accused murderers “walking” on “no case submissions.”  So the problem has both enforcement and judicial aspects to it. When so many accused are being set free, it emboldens others to engage in criminal activities. It is my belief that to fight crime in Guyana, there’s a need for intolerance of all crimes, a rapid response system to reported crime, motivated law-enforcement officers, and a judicial system that sees its role as dispensing justice for both accused and victim.
Intolerance of all Crime
A few decades ago, New York City was a dangerous place to be at night. Along came a new Commissioner and he immediately went after petty crimes such as turnstile jumpers in the subways, brown-bag alcohol drinkers on the streets where alcohol drinking is not allowed, and graffiti  artists. In a short time, crime took a dive and today, New York City is one of the safest major cities in the USA. The message is when would-be criminals observe law enforcement intolerance of any crime, even petty ones, they are less inclined to commit the more serious crimes.
The authorities here need to show the same commitment to all crimes. Sting operations can be devised to trap the bandits that hang around banks preying on unsuspecting customers. Even petty ones like riding a bicycle against a one-way street or without a light at night, aggressive driving – where motor vehicles overtake on the inside of a single-lane road, driving straight from turning lanes, or blowing horns after night-time hours.  If I witness these infractions, law enforcement officers would also observe them, but choose to do nothing as there are no consequences.  You don’t need more resources to accomplish this; you just need people doing their jobs.
Rapid Response System
A couple years ago, as I was being burglarised, I called the emergency number 911. The two calls I made within a five-minute period went unanswered. This was after a lot of publicity was given to a new emergency calling system.
Telephone systems today can generate reports containing a wealth of information. They can inform management about how many calls were made, times they were made, length of time of the call, recordings associated with those calls, and how many went unanswered.
In addition, victims are constantly reporting that law enforcement was unable to respond because of a lack of resources.  A solution is to have night patrols in GPS unmarked vehicles under supervisory control from Central Office and which vehicles can be dispatched quickly to reported incidents. GPS is important for such patrols as they also generate management reports covering where the vehicle travelled, what stops it made, how long each stop lasted, etc.
Motivated Law Enforcement Officers
Officers now have access to security cameras, breath analysers and speed detectors but yet accidents and crime are on the increase. The forensic lab is another tool that will make no difference. The problem is law enforcement officers are not motivated. What motivates a detective to solve a murder case?  Nothing really,  he knows that if he turns up for work he will receive a pay increase at the end of the year and if he stays long enough, he would be entitled to a promotion. To overcome this inertia, part of law-enforcement compensation must be at risk for performance – a base salary plus a bonus for achieving objectives set. For example, traffic officers would have a goal of issuing a certain number of tickets monthly. Issuing less will bring about a reprimand; issuing more a bonus.  Promotions would be predicated solely on performance and training.
Judiciary Functioning
A trial comprises three main parties-prosecutor-accused with defence team and judge.  The prosecutor has the onus of presenting evidence supporting the accused guilt, The defence refutes the evidence and the judge decides who made the better presentation.  The defence seems to be winning most of the time, which is unusual for any judicial system. It has implications for incompetency for the remaining two parties. The disparity has to be addressed. When decisions are handed down, the Press needs to take a critical look at these decisions to determine where the fault lies.
I also believe that prosecutors need to have objectives set that affect their compensation.
Fighting crime is a job like any other one requiring resources and managers with problem-solving skills.  Public entities don’t seem to understand the importance of the manager’s function resulting in inefficiencies and burdens on the public. The security sector is no exception and unless and until such management deficiencies are addressed, we will be discussing the escalation in crime for some years to come.