THE Public Security Ministry will continue to reshape the lives of hundreds of at-risk youths in 2018, even as it strengthens the Guyana Police Force’s capacity to combat crime.

A US$280,000 survey on women’s health and life expectancy in relation to those who have suffered and have become victims of domestic violence will also be the highlight of 2018, along with the injection of US$1M into the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL) to facilitate DNA testing.

As the budget debates continued on Thursday in the National Assembly, Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan told his colleagues on both sides of the House that this year, 428 youths from 20 communities across the country received technical training. Sixty-two of them were able to access loans and have launched their own businesses.

In 2018, an additional 420 youths will be made job-ready – an initiative that will continue until 2020, Minister Ramjattan assured. Added to that, in 2018 a number of at-risk youths from Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10 will be working along with a number of families in an effort to strengthen their resilience. Under this initiative, they will be equipped with conflict resolution and anger management skills. This project will also seek to promote positive parenting practices through a number of campaigns, workshops and family oriented activities.

The Public Security Minister also noted that 19 community officers have been appointed and are working with at-risk youths to improve their self-esteem while preventing them from engaging in criminal and violence acts. Already, the positive impacts are being felt, Minister Ramjattan told the House. The young people were selected from communities such as Stabroek, Lacytown, Sophia, Kuru Kururu, Bel Air, Port Mourant, Adelphi Village, Annandale, Mon Repos, South Ruimveldt, Tuchen De Vrierden, Bush Lot Village, Albion, Wismar, Agricola, Enmore, East Le Penitence, Lusignan, McDoom, and Charlestown.

In 2018, the national budget will also facilitate the roll out of 10 Rapid Impact Projects through the Public Security Ministry and the Citizen Security Strengthening Project (CSSP). Rapid Impact Projects are small-scale projects designed to rehabilitate existing or underutilized infrastructure, or build new facilities for social, recreational or educational needs of community members. Key to this is that they are all identified by the communities themselves.

Under component two of the CSSP, the Guyana Police Force Crime Prevention and Investigation Capacity for Homicides, Burglaries and Robberies at the national level will also be strengthened.
The Public Security Minister noted that capacity building initiative is nothing new. It was pointed out that over $300M in contracts have been awarded for the upgrades of 12 police stations to include domestic violence room, Information Technology Unit, and a greater enquiries room.

“Four are also most completed. Eight will be rolled over in 2018. But in addition to that we will have six more,” Minister Ramjattan told the House. These stations include those at Whim, Springlands, Parika, Baramita and Mahdia among others. The police performance capacity will also be diagnosed in 2018. “This assessment is expected to assist the police force in assessing based line conditions, identifying weaknesses and strengths,” Minister Ramjattan explained.

The Public Security Ministry will also be conducting a number of surveys to collect must needed data. A US$280,000 survey on women’s health and life expectancy in relation to those who have suffered and have become victims of domestic violence will be conducted.

Turning his attention to the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL), Minister Ramjattan noted that there were a number of problems with the lab. “When it was designed in 2012 it had huge problems, initially, it was only for trace-evidence testing, chemistry testing and toxicology,” he told the House, noting that it was not designed to facilitate DNA testing.

Nonetheless, he said that the Public Security Ministry has been able to secure almost US$1M to improve the air quality system and the security system in 2018 to allow for DNA testing. The Guyana Prison System, he assured will also be improved.