– Army Medical Corps to conduct outreach in the community on Saturday

THE Medical Corps of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force (GPF), will be conducting an outreach in the Albouystown community on Saturday, June 7.  The exercise, between 08:30hrs and 15:30 hrs on the Basketball Court at the corner of Hunter Street and Independence Boulevard, would offer residents general medical and dental examinations, prescriptions and HIV counselling and testing services.
It is part of the activities relating to the implementation of the GPF’s ‘Impact Albouystown Project’ that was launched on April 11 and involves law enforcement services and social intervention activities.
The GPF said it has been encouraged by developments that have taken place and support received since the April 11 launching.
That programme seeks, through law enforcement services and social interventions, to develop the community into what has been termed a “safe neighbourhood.”
Accordingly, the GPF has partnered with a number of stakeholders, including religious and community leaders of Albouystown, to achieve the objective.

GUN CRIMES
In a statement, GPF said part of the focus is in keeping with law enforcement objectives and this was explained by Acting Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud at the official launching. Therefore, for the Police to effectively confront instances of crime and disorder, which have heavy emphasis on gun crimes, the Force would, necessarily, have to deploy foot patrols and engage in stop-and-search operations, among other actions.
Patrols in the Albouystown community started on April 12 and seven men have since been arrested and charged for narcotics-related offences involving a total of 188 grammes of marijuana. An unlicensed .45 pistol was recovered during an attempted robbery on a business place in Albouys Street, Albouystown, which was thwarted by the quick response of the Police.
The perpetrator, who fired shots on the responding police ranks, has been arrested and will be placed before the court, shortly, the statement said.
It added that no serious crimes have been committed in the Albouystown community since the project launch.
The statement noted that persons complained in one of the daily newspapers that the police were searching the bags of children going to school.
However, the GPF wishes to advise that when the Impact Albouystown Project started schools were closed and no such searches took place.

VERY APPRECIATIVE
The GPF has been very appreciative of the significant early support from the business community towards implementation of the Impact Albouystown Project. Those persons and organisations have donated cash, computers, foodstuff, cosmetics and garbage bins and others have made pledges.
A monthly donation of 10,000 pounds of rice is being made by a rice miller and this would greatly assist the feeding programme presently being conducted by the religious community in Albouystown.
Moreover, the monthly donation of $200,000 worth of cosmetics by another businessman will serve to aid the cosmetology training and other initiatives, the police reported.
A steering committee, which includes senior police officers and leaders in the target community, has been established and will be meeting on a monthly basis.
A significant part of the GPF’s efforts in this initiative is aimed at empowering youths of the Albouystown community to develop skills in order to be productive and make proper decisions.
“We do expect some resistance from persons who are benefiting from criminology in the community,” the GPF acknowledged.