— U..S ambassador says concerted efforts needed to keep them at bay

OIL and gas does not attract crime, but brings more people and money to a country, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway told the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Limited (GMSA) business luncheon on Tuesday.

Speaking to the business community at the Pegasus Hotel, the U.S. ambassador however pointed out that criminals are also business-minded people who are interested in profits and transnational criminal organisations.
As such, he said, money launderers, gold smugglers and human smugglers are serious threats to the rule of law and basic ways of life.

Under the theme, “Crime and Security, a Regional and National Perspective and Implications for Economic Development”, the U.S. envoy said while it is okay for the UK and US to assist with development programmes in Guyana, it must be supported by the government, civil society and the private sector.
“It takes political will and I don’t mean that at just the politician’s level, everyone has to decide that this is something we want to deal with and put our money and energies to it, to build institutions,” the ambassador said.

Noting that Guyana’s budget on security in the Region is lower in comparison to others, Holloway said in order to prevent crime from ramping up, more money will be needed to address various issues.

“You can’t have the police, GDF or other officials going after 21st century criminals with 19th century equipment and institutions, this just can’t be done. I think everyone has their heart in the right place and the previous and current government has spent a lot of monies on crime and security and the U.S. government has invested a lot in security in the Region, but it’s always a game of three steps forward and two steps backwards,” he explained.

NO SILVER BULLET
Ambassador Holloway said criminals are not afraid of the police and there are always counteractions and Guyana has to be prepared, since there is no “silver bullet” to solve all the problems.
Pointing out that Colombia has come a far way in its development, the U.S. envoy who was once stationed there said it is essential for all state institutions and law enforcement agencies to work together.

“It’s not just for security institutions, it’s also for the Ministry of Education which plays a key role in giving a good education to people, and also educating students to become good citizens, to respect rule of law, to let people know when they see a crime and things like that,” Holloway said.

He also noted that the Ministry of Public Health also has to play its part in assisting drug addicts and keeping society healthy.
President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), Shyam Nokta, said within the last decade, there has been a notable increase in all aspects of crime.

He said crime thwarts development, foreign investments and disrupts tourism, while noting that a 2017 IDB study states that the Caribbean suffers from a high level of violent crimes.
Nokta said inter-regional drug trafficking is a main force behind violence and crime in the Region and Central and South America have displaced drug cartels that are moving into the Caribbean.

Adding that geographically Guyana is situated strategically as a transshipment location, Nokta said addressing drug trafficking and the violent crimes that come with such acts needs to be addressed, since it is a growing problem.
“Guyana is not exempt from the scourge of increased crime in the Region. Over time we have witnessed fluctuations of the crime level, as well as varying degrees in their severity,” he said.

Underscoring that all forms of crime have a negative impact on society, the GMSA President said that the 2018 safety report on Guyana by the U.S. State Department indicates that crime can pose a significant challenge in the country’s development.

IMPACT
“Crime has certainly influenced private sector activity, affected livelihoods and families. Crime is certainly having a direct and indirect impact on the overall economic development in Guyana and increasingly larger allocations have been made to deal with this, in Budget 2018 approximately $30 billion was allocated to the public security sector to implement several initiatives,” he said.

These initiatives, Nokta said, includes the expansion of prisons, modernisation of the Guyana Police Force and security sector reform, which has been a major discussion over the years
He explained that crime is being driven at the domestic level, but circumstances in the Region and close to the borders also pose a threat to national security.

“Whether it is cross-border movement of illicit drugs or the threat of criminal gangs, our porous borders leaves us vulnerable. Could this be exacerbated as we move towards an oil and gas economy? Experience from other developing oil- producing countries including our neighbours have shown the shrinkage of agriculture and manufacturing sectors, resulting in loss of jobs and economic activities in this sector,” Nokta said.

He said volatile oil prices can also create macro-economic shocks and decline in investments and social programmes which can become too dependent on revenues in the oil sector.

Adding that a UK study has revealed that there was a positive correlation between the oil and gas sector and the increase in crimes, Nokta said as Guyana moves into this phase of oil development, it is imperative that the country learn of the good and bad, while implementing preventative measures to tackle crime in the future.

“As a sparsely populated developing country, how do we grapple with this, as crime and the threat it poses influence how our international partners are shaping their agenda with security and related forms of cooperation being at the top of the list… there are no easy answers, it may require not only domestic action, such as demanding more from our leaders in politics, the church, the media and in business who can see the consequences of inaction,” he said.