CRIME-FIGHTING, border security and other challenges were raised with senior Joint Services officials who recently visited Baramita, Region One, where they met with officials and residents.
The Joint Services team was led by Colonel Julius Skeete, General Staff of the Guyana Defence Force; Deputy Police Commissioner Operations (ag), Clifton Hicken; Deputy Divisional Commander, Mark Vigilance and other Joint Services officers.

The regional representatives were identified as Margaret Lambert, Regional Democratic Councillor and representative of the Prime Ministerial Office of Region One, Deputy Toshao Raphael Hamilton. Also present were councillors, members of the business community and other stakeholders.
Baramita is about 20 miles west of Matthew’s Ridge and is one of the largest Amerindian settlements in the country.

Law-enforcement officials say both local and foreign nationals were warned against aiding and abetting foreign nationals with illegal arms and ammunition in Guyana’s jurisdiction.
“All perpetrator(s) will be prosecuted in keeping with the laws of Guyana. They were urged to develop community policing groups to aid the current security posture. An environment was created for future interactions to enhance security measures in Baramita,” one senior officer noted.

Collaborative efforts were established through team-policing with residents, district councillors and stakeholders to share information with the Joint Services.

The visit sought to provide the residents, councillors and other stakeholders an opportunity to communicate their concerns with the objective of having them addressed as far as practicable.

Some of the concerns raised by residents include juvenile delinquency, traversing of tractors on residents’ farms and the playfield; foreign nationals present in the district; erecting of structures without permission of the Village Council; pollution of waterways by miners while transporting fuel and supplies to mining areas along the trail to Imatacha; unfair treatment of Guyanese miners in Imatacha; threats of Venezuelans to Guyanese miners and the need for the Joint Services to be stationed in Baramita and breaching of the COVID-19 Protocols.

They noted the need for a task force in the district which should include members of the Joint Services, members of the Village Council, representatives from the Regional Democratic Council and other interested personnel.
The residents also discussed the forming of youth groups that would focus on vocational skills, sports and other capacity-building activities to motivate and develop youth engagements in Baramita.

The Joint Services officials agreed to play a fundamental role in these initiatives.

They also said that policymakers will be consulted and a decision will be made shortly concerning the construction of a Joint Services base in the district. Breaches in the COVID-19 protocols were addressed with the Joint Services warning of penalties.

The Joint Services officials also assured residents that all crimes committed in Guyana will be investigated thoroughly.