IN keeping with government’s mission to boost security at the country’s main port of entry, the management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is looking to procure body cameras for its security staff.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who has responsibility for the aviation sector, made this disclosure at the commissioning of new pieces of screening equipment at the Timehri, East Bank Demerara airport, on Saturday.
Edghill related that the decision to procure the body cameras was made after a third Guyanese was recently busted at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport while attempting to smuggle birds into the United States.
According to reports, on April 30, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBP) discovered 40 finches concealed in hair rollers inside a 36-year-old Guyanese man’s baggage.

While noting the “stain” these incidents have on Guyanese travellers, Minister Edghill said the CJIA security systems when checked had indicated that the man was “clean” upon inspection. This, he said, is an indication that a member or several members of the CJIA security staff would have facilitated this illegal “clearance.”
He noted that the government in combatting crime, intends to take airport and aviation security to “the next level” through the use of modern pieces of innovative technology, and, as such, the decision was taken to have the officers outfitted with “body cams” to minimize similar occurrences in the future.
“The President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s administration is taking aviation security, airport security, countering the trafficking of narcotics and other illegal drugs and substances, preventing the passage of explosives and other illegal items through our airport, seriously,” Minister Edghill said.
Further, he said that the hope is to have security staff who want to ensure that crime at the airport is reduced and will utilise the new security measures not just as a deterrent, but as a badge of honor in their role to secure the airport.

“We don’t want men and women who are being enticed with filthy lucre to compromise a system. We don’t want people who would delete images and prevent prosecution. We want people who are honest, people who are upright, people who are properly equipped,” Minister Edghill said.
Minister Edghill had noted that this move is in keeping with government’s commitment to modernise and transform Guyana. He explained that the change in the physical infrastructure of the CJIA must be complemented with the technology to support innovative advancement.
Just last week four new pieces of screening equipment costing $400M were commissioned to help detect threats to civil aviation such as the illegal trafficking of drugs, explosives and other substances and products. The new scanners are ideally intended to help detect these threats quickly, and to aid law enforcement in its fight against narco-trafficking at Guyana’s ports of entry. The new machines have automatic detection capabilities, and will allow the screener to manipulate and further examine anomalies detected in passengers’ luggage.