THE Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) Community Policing Groups Secretariat has made a timely contribution of over $3 million worth in motor vehicles, bicycles and sports gear to the Mabaruma District Community Policing Group in an effort to boost the district’s crime-fighting capabilities. The equipment was handed over by administrator of the Ministry of Home Affairs Community Policing Groups (CPG), Rishi Das, on Friday last on behalf of the ministry; receiving the items were Chairman of the Mabaruma District CPG, Mark Persaud, and liaison officer to the MoHA, Leon Robertson. The donation comprised two motorcycles worth approximately $800,000; one 4×4 pickup worth approximately $2.5M; five bicycles worth approximately $75,000 and a quantity of sports gear, worth approximately $250,000 — an aggregate of over $3.6M, Das told the Guyana Chronicle. He explained that the equipment will serve to benefit at least 10 of the 18 CPG groups in the Mabaruma district, the administrative centre for Region One. The groups are desperately in need of land vehicles.

“It was handed over to them to make the CPG more mobile in the district … It is really needed in the district; they don’t really have any land transportation,” Das said, as he highlighted that the idea to hand over the vehicles will facilitate “proper patrols” to aid crime-fighting efforts. In November last year, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn relaunched the CPGs with a focus on rebuilding, boosting membership and regaining trust within communities in order to prevent crime. Since January, 139 CPG groups have been formed, taking the total so far to 225 CPGs, with some 2,215 additional members taking the total membership to 4,225. Das had told the Guyana Chronicle that the unit’s membership has doubled since the start of the year and new groups were formed in areas such as Moruca and Mabaruma. The administrator of the CPG Secretariat explained that resuscitation of CPGs countrywide has been completed and it is now time that emphasis be placed on developing the initiative further.