PRESIDENT David Granger said it would be best for former President Donald Ramotar not to interfere with the way the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is managed, as he vowed to bring the crime situation under control.The President said he had met with the top brass of both the GDF and the Guyana Police Force, and is confident that the plans being put into place will roll back the crime situation in six months.

Mr Ramotar, in a statement, had expressed disappointment that the Army is in the barracks when the crime situation is a cause for much concern.
His comments follow the recent bandits attack on former Crime Chief Leslie James at his home in Sophia.
“This is a blatant and brazen attack on one of our most senior police officers. It is a slap in the face of the Guyana Police Force and the government as a whole,” Mr Ramotar contended.
But speaking with journalists yesterday following the GDF Colours Parade, President Granger said he has given instructions to the army, and it would be better if Mr Ramotar keeps away from the matter.
“I meet the Chief of Staff every week and I am fully aware of what needs to be done in order to deal with the defence situation Guyana finds itself in at present and also the crime situation,” President Granger said.
In fact, Mr Granger said instructions have been given to both the Police and Defence Forces, and he is confident that his instructions are in the best interest of the nation.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force, in a statement yesterday said unlike the claim by former president Ramotar, crime is not spiralling out of control based on its statistics, supported by other data.
The statistics for serious crimes had indicated that there has been an eight per cent increase for the period January 01, 2015, to October 31, 2015, when compared to the same period in 2014; and for the same period in 2013.
“Notwithstanding the eight per cent increase this year, the significant efforts of the police regarding the arrest and prosecution of several high-profile groups of criminals and the use of intelligence and investigative skills have led to the solving of a number of serious crimes, including murders and armed robberies dating back to 2013.
“The Guyana Police Force reiterates that in the recent instances when the Guyana Defence Force was called out in support of the police, it was with the aim of giving assurance to the members of the public and confidence boosting, and not because the police have been overwhelmed by the crime situation,” the police point out.
It noted that the most recent deployment of soldiers in support of the police was during March and April this year, prior to the last General and Regional Elections.
National elections in Guyana are historically a period punctuated by high tension and general unease.
The deployment for that period was a joint Army/Police initiative, and it served its purpose, the police said.
President Granger said some headway is being made in addressing the crime situation.
“Criminals are being arrested very soon after the commissioning of events, I am seeing greater response from the CID, and I am very satisfied with that. There are other problems which have developed over the past 23 years which we are trying to rectify. The Police Force was seriously degraded, the Security Sector Reform that had been agreed with Britain was never implemented and we have inherited a Force which is weak and we are now trying to make it much stronger,” he said.
Mr Granger noted that a lot of emphasis will be placed on equipment, training and ensuring that policemen are well paid, officered and commanded.
The Police Force will also be sending horses to the hinterland to boost patrols in vulnerable areas such as the Rupununi.
“I am sure that within a very short period of time, maybe half year or so, we will be on top of the crime situation,” the President said, pointing out that the country is facing problems which have accumulated over the past 12 years and cannot be fixed overnight.

NATIONAL ANTI-NARCOTICS AGENCY

Meanwhile, a National Anti-Narcotics Agency is being established and it will be headed by retired Major General Michael Atherly.
The President is confident that the agency will bring gun running and other forms of transnational crime under control.
Major General Atherly is currently the head of the taskforce on narco- trafficking and illegal firearms at the Ministry of Public Security.
One of his tasks is to revisit the National Drug Strategy Master Plan the government has inherited from the former administration.
Mr Granger, a retired Army Brigadier, said the plan will be modified and when implemented it will bring the scourge of narco-trafficking under control.
The administration is optimistic that the plans being put in place for the GDF and the Police Force will make Guyana a safer place in the short and medium term.
By Tajeram Mohabir