– Seelall on suicide hotline

HEAD of the Guyana Police Force, Mr Seelall Persaud on Thursday told reporters that the Force is working diligently with various stakeholders to launch a suicide hotline, and diligence will be exercised to ensure that it will be effective

The Top Cop said that already counsellors both from the police force and other agencies are on board and the programme seems ready, but there is still some training to be done.
Then there will be discussions with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company to make the lines available.
Seelall, addressing a gathering yesterday at the launch of the Guyana Police Force Community Service Chaplaincy Training- Level 1, told the faith-based representatives and junior and senior ranks of the Force that the hotline will be in place to accommodate depressed persons.
Those taking the calls are not all expected to be police officers, but also persons who are trained and know how to deal with depressed persons. Once the calls are received and the area the call comes from is determined, the police will be informed and will move to the location with a counsellor and try to contact the caller.
At the Guyana Police Force’s Officers Conference earlier this year, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud had announced the establishment of a suicide hotline.
Meanwhile contacted yesterday afternoon, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Telephone Company RK Sharma said that it was only Wednesday that the telephone company personnel met with police representatives on the matter of making lines available.
It is not likely that the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company will deny the police the lines for such a use, even as the Commissioner said that they were looking to have an arrangement that will not impact the budget of the Force.
The Commissioner however said that if it comes down to the point where a cost is involved, the Police will have to pay up.

GT&T has in the past thrown its support behind very huge projects aimed at meeting the needs of members of the public, largely as part of its cooperate responsibility.
The phone company has especially spent millions to promote tourism, youth development and sports, among other programmes.

(By Leroy Smith)