…Women miners urge improvement in living standards of interior cops

THE Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) is calling for more determined efforts by government to improve social and security services in the hinterland especially the living conditions of members of the security forces.
President of the GWMO Urica Primus in an interview with the Pepperpot said the organisation is pleased with government’s plans to tackle lawlessness in the interior but believes that

instead of only dealing with security issues, it should look at other areas. “In addressing lawlessness in the interior, you have to address it from all its fronts…not only from the security services, but also from social services,” Primus said. Earlier this year, President David Granger said government is taking steps to address hinterland lawlessness. President Granger said a concept paper has already been developed and plans were being put in motion to strengthen security, with increased police presence already evident in some hinterland areas, and special training of wardens to be stationed specifically in those regions.
“Indeed, there has been some lawlessness in mining areas leading to deaths, sometimes traffic accidents, murders and fatal accidents in the mines… We already have a concept paper on the development of a corps of wardens who would be working mainly in the extractive industries and the tourist industry in the hinterland…that will come on stream after they are trained and properly equipped… will generally come under the Police Force, under the Police Act, but they will perform specialized functions in those areas,” President Granger had said.
Poor living conditions
Primus however told the Pepperpot that living conditions and stipends of policemen need vast improvement and while government is working on the corps and wardens improvement programme, these additional policemen must be comfortable and receive greater financial rewards in order to fight against crime. “You could walk the length and breadth of Guyana and see the conditions that policemen (in the interior) live under when they go into mining communities…They don’t have proper beds for them, some cases they don’t have lights, they don’t have water, they don’t have transportation. We went to one area and where they’re living in has more holes than I have ever seen. The police station at Port Kaituma … the walls are falling down,” Primus explained.
She said while government may not yet be aware of the conditions some policemen operate under, an analysis of the situation is recommended. She said policemen in the interior live on the one menial salary in areas where everything is quite expensive and they still have to support their families on the coast. She said government could consider supplying its officers monthly with ration to ease expense and cut possibilities of them building strong bonds with criminals and potential criminals within the districts.
“You can’t afford to live in the interior even on their salary, moreso to live in the interior and still support their family in Georgetown or wherever they may reside. It is difficult for any policeman to function effectively and to consider not taking bribes if that is an area you want to look at,” Primus told the Pepperpot. She said while policemen in mining communities are mandated to do field visits at particular times, many are not provided with transportation, or stipend for hotel and meals.
“But you want them to ensure that they do this and do this thoroughly. You still have to take them into consideration. Even as you increase the numbers you also have to increase the benefits and the provisions that you are making for security forces,” Primus said. She pointed out that while many citizens criticise policeman for failing to execute their jobs properly, at the same time if they are not treated properly with basic facilities provided, “how do we expect them to function effectively?”
Improper exposure
The GWMO President warned against ranks often begging favours of miners and other businessmen in the area, saying this type of exposure can compromise their professional work. “If you’re in a mining community and a miner gives me transportation to go in the backdam every time I have to go, provide me with a place to stay, provide me with meals when I get there, take me around to the other outlying areas, and he commits a crime, how could I lock him up?” Primus asked.
Suggesting that hinterland police function independently in order to be effective, Primus explained that if police must depend on hinterland businessmen and individuals, such situation can create a pool of lawbreaking people who maintain police financially and otherwise, who become confident that they will not be arrested. “And it’s not as though (they are) bribing them, but (they are) maintaining them. So it’s like if you’re creating grandfathers in the backdam,” the GWMO President explained.
She said unless government addresses such issues, sending more lawmen in hinterland communities will create further irregularities especially if the other people being stationed there are not properly maintained. “(We would get) a lot of police, yes, but a lot of police that have to survive.”
Transfers
Primus also advised government to review the Guyana Police Force’s current programme of transferring policemen to the hinterland for bad behaviour on the coast. “In the planning for the hinterland programme, you also have to look at the current programme that is being done, with policemen being punished by sending them to interior locations…So you also have to look at the types of policemen that you’re sending to the mining areas, because when you take somebody who is misbehaving in Georgetown and send them to Tamakay (a mining community in Upper Mazaruni), it’s the same bad behaviour, but it will multiply because you have more people that you could try to pressure and get money out of.”
Meanwhile, Primus said other social services are needed in the hinterland areas to better serve its female population. She pointed out that a victim of rape has no other support social services and if the police refuse to take her statement she has no one in the area to turn to. “If a child isn’t attending school, or drop out, who ensures that this child returns to school? We’ve seen a number of cases of even girls who were trafficked. When you talk to them, they start school and at some point in time they drop out. But there is no one in the outlying communities ensuring that our children get their rights,” Primus said.