– British team soon to kick start organisational changes within Police Force

PRESIDENT David Granger is asking citizens to be patient as government works to implement crime-fighting strategies. The President believes that initiatives already implemented by the Ministry of Public Security are having an effect on the crime situation facing the country.
“…we are working and I ask the public to be patient, because the initiatives that have been put in place by the Ministry of Public Security are starting to have an effect.”
Speaking during his weekly television programme “The Public Interest,” President Granger said residents on the Corentyne have already praised the recent installation of the police mounted branch, which was able to apprehend the suspect in the murder of a woman who was beheaded.
“And even on the Corentyne Coast, Black Bush Polder, people have already reported that although it wasn’t police, mounted men were able to track down the murderer for that crime on the Corentyne through the back dam and if you’ve noticed too, piracy is almost at zero, because we’ve been conducting aerial patrols; people don’t know that, but piracy is almost down at zero so it’s working,” the President said.
The President reiterated that the Security Sector Reform Action plan is now back on the table and will see a British team in Guyana soon to implement organisational changes within the Guyana Police Force.
“The force also has to get more equipment. We cannot control 3,000, 4,000km of border on foot. We have to give the police better boats, we have to give them all terrain vehicles, we have to give them aircraft. We have provided some horses, but the horses cannot cover the distance.”
According to the President, the police force is under-strength, but it is hoped that more people will be recruited into the Mounted Branch, particularly in the Rupununi.
“So changes are taking place, they are visible and I think people have already noticed that crimes, although they are still being committed at a rate which we feel is unacceptable, they are being solved more quickly. The highest rate of murder we had was in 2003 when about 206 persons were killed and now the body count is lower and we would like to bring it much lower than what it is now.”
The President said it must be taken into consideration that many youths of today witnessed Guyana’s violent crime wave between 2000-2002.
“So they’re now matured and they’ve grown accustomed to violence, they’ve grown accustomed to solving their problems with the gun, they’ve grown accustomed to not sitting down and working problems out, but using violence.”
It was recently revealed by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) that as of September serious crimes were down 19 per cent across the country with a 62 per cent clear- up rate (investigation to prosecution).