– MoC permanent secretary

CRIME does not occur in a vacuum and local democratic organs need to develop capacity over time to address issues of youth, crime and violence in communities, as mandated under the Local Government Act.

This is according to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities (MoC), Emil Mc Garrell, during his address to local government councillors on social crime prevention on Thursday at the Racquet Centre, Woodford Avenue, Georgetown.

The two-day workshop is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Communities and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Community, Family and Youth Resilience Programme (CFYR).

The permanent secretary said the workshop will make a continued thrust towards re-defining the functions of the local government system and taking it to the level that is needed.

Adding that it is within the local democratic organ’s function to preserve law and order, Mc Garrell said councillors can give advice, encouragement and support to members of their communities, in their daily activities, while leading by example.

He explained that the CFYR programme will benefit the first batch of councillors to be the catalyst of change for crime prevention.

“The workshop is about social crime prevention and training for councillors, so that you will be in a position to competitively interface with immediate and targeted sections of your community for which this skillset is needed,” he said.

Underscoring that crime does not occur in a vacuum, Mc Garrell said the problem starts within communities for which elected councillors have responsibilities.

He contended that councillors must be able to effectively reach solutions with residents in order to maintain law and order through social crime prevention.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
In aiding the justice system, Mc Garrell said that councillors must also address issues of domestic violence along with partnering with the authorities.

“The workshop will empower you councillors and leaders of local democratic organs to better prepare yourselves to manage such issues in the communities… it is our continued effort to support you while being mindful that you have the mandate to carry out these responsibilities, being mindful that you are also constrained by the limited financial resources as well as local capacity,” Mc Garrell told attendees of the workshop.

He explained that cooperation and social development are needed to safeguard the well-being of all communities, since all residents deserve a safer community.

“Local councillors are important to social crime prevention efforts, especially where our women in general and youths are concerned. We must be a part of the peace-making process and develop an understanding at the level of the community,” he explained.

The CFYR programme aims at supporting family networks, communities, service providers and government agencies to implement successful approaches that reduce violence and increase opportunities for youth.

Creative Association International has received funding from USAID to implement the CFYR in target communities in Guyana.

It said while drug transit has abated in recent years, crime and violence have persisted. High youth unemployment and a lack of psychosocial support resources for youth have exacerbated the problem and contributed to a cycle of violence.

The Community, Family and Youth Resilience programme is set to identify and work with families and their youth who are empirically at the highest risk of becoming involved in crime and violence. This programme will assess youth risk through the Youth Service Eligibility Tool (YSET) which measures risk across nine factors at a family, peer and individual levels.