…PM urges greater inter-agency collaboration to defend border

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, on Thursday urged greater inter-agency collaboration in an effort to protect this country’s vast border.Speaking at the opening of the annual police officers’ conference Nagamootoo said that the conference is being held at a time of great changes in the world. “A new President took office in the United States and he immediately started to implement his campaign promises. One of those is the erection of a wall along the Mexican border.”
Nagamootoo said President Donald Trump, has identified a law-enforcement function of the wall, that is, to lock out criminals from the United States of America. “It is not for us to say whether we agree or disagree with this decision. But unlike the USA, Guyana has extensive borders with three countries, and the mere length of our borders would not allow us to build any walls,” the Prime Minister said.
He said for Guyana, the better option would be to: promote inter-agency cooperation among our intelligence, defence, security and law-enforcement agencies; encourage participation of civil society in crime detection, community protection and intelligence gathering; build functional cooperation with neighbouring states, friendly countries and international agencies in the fight against trans-border and transnational crimes, and ensure that the three branches of Government in Guyana – the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary – work in comity and share in the governance process in such a way as not only to prevent abuse of powers but to strengthen our democratic system and to effectively enforce public policy.
He told the law men that as the law enforcement arm of the Executive, “you need to know and respect tenets of democracy, such as the separation of powers that guide the Executive in its relations with the Legislature and the Judiciary.” “We are all better together; stronger, too. So I ask you, as law enforcement officers and ranks, to respect our laws, our institutions and our democratic traditions.”
He said since coming into office the APNU+AFC Government can proudly proclaim that Guyana has no death squads, no extra-judicial killings, and no electronic support architecture for the criminal enterprise and no agreement with the narco-syndicate to be an auxiliary of the national security apparatus.
“It seems not so long ago that we experienced the gruesome episodes of torture, executions and use of excessive force, which had impugned the professionalism of the Guyana Police Force. Fatal shooting by the police, fell from 17 cases in 2008 and 13 in 2013, to only three such cases last year.” Nagamootoo told the officers that they have distanced themselves from contamination of past lawlessness and excesses in less than two years must be justification to say, “well done”. You could do better.”
He said it was once noted that there are “lies, damned lies and statistics”. “So, I should be careful to use statistics that show that in the last 20 months, when compared with the corresponding period, percentage-wise, the incidence of crime has fallen. But no amount of statistics would compensate for the tragic consequences that follow criminal activities — the loss of loved ones, the agonies of survivors, damage, deprivation of property and mental depression.”

He said citizens can be comforted by the facts, as illustrated by compelling statistics, that the Guyana Police Force lessened the incidence of crime and that police ranks responded positively by apprehending suspects, putting them on trial, and playing useful prosecutorial role in seeing that justice is done. “You have sent a strong message that you would deal condignly with law-breakers and that our system of justice ensures that those who do the crime, they would do the time!”
He said no statistics are more compelling than those for 2016 when there was a 63% detection rate for murder. Of the 142 reports, 89 cases were made out. I understand in police lingua, this is called the clear-up rate, and 63% represents the highest such clear-up rate for murder in fifteen (15) years.” At the same time, compared to 2015, there has been a 16% reduction in the serious crime rate in 2016 (from 392 to 328 reports). These offences include Robbery under Arms (firearms used), Robbery with Violence, Rape, and Larceny from the Person.
“Our Government also notes with satisfaction that last year the Major Crimes Unit busted 37 cases in 2016, which include 10 “cold cases”, 11 murders and 11 robberies in which firearm had been used.”

Nagamootoo said in Guyana, though “we have a strict law enforcement reputation that we are seeking to re-build, we have resorted to what might appear to be a human approach to ensure public safety. We experimented with a gun amnesty and we also witnessed pardon of prisoners. We implemented a curfew to allow unfettered drinking in public places until 2 a.m. I commend our Minister of Public Security for these innovations and also other measures that were intended to reduce the incidence of lawlessness and criminal activities.”
But it would appear, he said that “we could never guarantee a no-crime environment. Last year, even in the most unsuspecting place, the central prison, crimes were being hatched and hardened criminals were ready to confront law enforcement. The consequences, in one instance, were fatal.” “I recall that incident to show that the scope of work by the disciplined forces from patrol duties to prison deployment is very wide and full of challenges. “However, you met those challenges. You responded not only physically but you employed intelligence to break-through serious Crime cases. There were 40 such break-through including: 10 murders and firearm related robberies. Information provided also resulted in 78 arrests of persons wanted for serious crimes.
Nagamootoo told the officers that no one can take credit away from them for what they have done collectively. “But you were not alone. Under the leadership of President David Granger, your Commander-in-Chief, the National Security Committee and the Defence Board have been reactivated, and have been meeting routinely. As a result, there have been interagency cooperation, maritime aerial surveillance, border patrols and purposeful deployment of our limited resources; material and personnel resources. Our ranks in the joint services went on feet, bicycles, motor cycles, horseback, ATVs, jeeps, helicopters and in aircrafts, wherever the situation required. Ranks have been deployed and are permanently stationed on board the M.V. Tamakay, a floating police station in the Waini River.”
He said the combined and determined efforts of police ranks have produced results.