PUBLIC Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Thursday shut down People’s Progressive Party (PPP) claims of political interference in police matters, and a lack of confidence in the government to address crime.

It occurred during the 92nd meeting of the National Assembly and was in response to a query from former PPP General Secretary and current Member of Parliament (MP) Clement Rohee to that effect:
“When will the government, and when will the minister, stop interfering in operational activities of the Guyana Police Force and giving direction to the past police service commission?”

To which Minister Ramjattan calmly resplied: “I totally differ with the Honourable Member in relation to interference; there is absolutely no interference. And in relation to the Police Service Commission that will be constituted, you know about the appointments committee [nomination] last week of certain names… And I understand that the President is supposed to meet the leader of the opposition today.”

But even before that, Mr Rohee had asked: “Is there a lack of confidence in the government’s ability to address crime? What measures has, or will, the minister put in place to build greater trust and confidence in the capacity of this ministry to address the crime situation?”

And, sensing somehow that the Honourable Member was spoiling for a fight, Minister Ramjattan replied, with as much equanimity as he could muster: “There are lots more crime being discovered and crimes being solved, and we are catching the criminals; even the white collar ones.
“The rate of solving the crimes and charging people and prosecuting them for white and blue collar crimes has increased; people are having tremendous confidence.
“Their confidence is also seen in lots more people coming forward to give information as to where these things are happening and that is an important thing.”

What has been of tremendous help in keeping the statistics down, the minister explained, is the government’s strategy of providing improved facilities for police officers, with a number of stations being recently rehabilitated or remodelled under the Citizen’s Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) and the Police Force’s allocation under the capital works budget.

RENOVATIONS
To date, renovations under the CSSP have all been completed at Port Kaituma and Mabaruma in Region One (Barima- Waini); at Suddie in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); at LaGrange in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); at Cane Grove in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); at Mibicuri and Isano in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); and at Kwakwani in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).

Still awaiting completion, he said, are the stations at Aishalton and Annai due to bad weather and road conditions, and the Mackenzie Police Station in Region 10.

Those stations that have been renovated under the capital works budget are those at Springlands, Lethem and New Amsterdam, with works ongoing at the ones at La Parfaite Harmonie and Matthew’s Ridge.

The Minister also announced that works have been completed at the Brickdam lock-ups, with a handing-over ceremony scheduled soon.
Added to this, Ramjattan said that there is an expert reviewing of the Recruit Training Course, which will see the improvement of the course’s syllabus, which has not been done for a number of years.
The review is also aimed at bringing the training course up to international standard of Systematic Approach to Training (SAT); reviewing the selection of instructors; and providing appropriate standard manual for graduates.

Seemingly satisfied by what he had heard, but opting to soldier on nonetheless, Rohee asked Minister Ramjattan what plans he intends implementing to address the increase in reported crimes and robberies — particularly robberies with firearms and rapes.

The first Ramjattan identified were information and intelligence-led covert and overt operations such as stings, roadblocks, random stop-and-search exercises; raids to mapped areas with high crime; high-visibility patrols; search operations; and robust investigations.

The minister said that there has also been maintenance of Social Crime Prevention and Community Relations Programmes, with special focus on at-risk youths to aid in this regard.

“That has been happening at all the police divisions, because we feel that law enforcement must not only be the primary pillar, but there must be some secondary pillars that has to do with social crime prevention,” he explained.
Ramjattan added that there has also been collaboration between private security firms and Community Policing Groups, as well as the monitoring of social media, which have all been very instrumental in catching criminals.