ALTHOUGH littering has been dubbed one of the biggest challenges to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), the statutory meeting last Monday heard how a mere 15 persons were charged for the offence for the entire 2016.
Former Deputy Mayor now Councillor,Sherod Duncan, raised the issue at the meeting prompting Town Clerk Royston King to ask Chief Constable Andrew Foo to respond.
Foo referred to the constraints that are currently plaguing his municipality in terms of resources, and also pointed out how some of his limited officers had to be diverted to the parking meter project.
King offered that the absence of waste receptacles in stores contributes to the littering crisis, as well as the high level of indiscipline on citizens’ part. He said despite the garbage trucks turning up on time, some people prefer to litter.

Recently, the Chief Constable had indicated to the Chronicle that although the department was short of 138 staff members, officers were still being dispatched to the enforcement team belonging to Smart City Solutions (SCS), the company that M&CC granted the concession to install parking meters.
The company’s patrolling teams around the city would have had to include Constabulary officers, Foo had clarified.
As to how this development would impact the department, Foo said: “It’s very tight, because we are constrained in terms of our numbers. But we have a mandate and once it’s an initiative of the Council, then the constabulary has to work in that area. It now becomes a part of our mandate.”
The Constabulary has responsibility for the prevention and detection of crime in Georgetown and has similar powers and privileges of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
It also has authority to prosecute persons for offences such as assault, disorderly behaviour, urinating in public places, using indecent language, encumbering the pavements and so forth.
The department also provides security for municipal markets, day-care centres, koker pumps and City Hall buildings, among others. Providing security alone takes up much of the department’s resources, Foo had once told the Chronicle.
The Enforcement Unit, which deals with itinerant vending and other breaches of the laws, is also very small and short of its full complement of staff.