–Deputy Commissioner Budhram says

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER of Operations, Ravindradat Budhram, announced, on Wednesday, that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) would be reintroducing Park Patrols around Georgetown by utilising the resources of its Mounted Branch and Canine Section.

The initiative, Budhram noted, is aimed at using the Force’s Mounted Branch and Canine (K-9) Unit at their maximum capacity to maximise public safety.

He charged the ranks to keep fit and equip themselves through the various courses and training programmes provided by the GPF. The department is currently being expanded throughout all of the regional police divisions.

The Mounted Branch and K-9 Section were formed in the 1900s and played a crucial role at that time.

The branch was formed for various reasons, including maintaining street order, providing Presidential escorts and crowd control during protests, strikes, and shows; combating crime; detecting explosives; retrieving illegal arms and ammunition; and apprehending perpetrators, among others.

Deputy Commissioner “Ops” also met with the officer-in-charge of the Mounted and Canine Section, Deputy Superintendent, Rockwell Delph; second-in-charge, Assistant Superintendent, Devon Gordon; Administrative Officer, Inspector Carl Saul, and all other ranks of the Department at the Police Sports Ground on Wednesday morning.

During discussion, all ranks were urged to maintain discipline and be of service to the citizens of Guyana and strive, at all times, to make it a safer place for all.

When contacted by this publication, Deputy Commissioner Budhram explained that mounted officers are best used in high-traffic areas, since ranks also enjoy a high vantage point up to 10 feet above the vantage of other people and ranks. This allows officers to see more people and for more people to see them.

He explained that the Mounted Unit and Canine (K-9) Unit are excellent “beacons” to a community. People frequently want to come up to the horses where they otherwise wouldn’t to an individual officer. This allows for better information gathering, increased intelligence, and increased public confidence.

“Where an officer in a car may move through an area so quickly that others don’t or can’t notice it, a horse is much more noticeable and likely to be seen. An officer on horseback is as valuable to a situation and the department as several ranks on foot,” he noted.

Budhram explained that mounted officers would work with ranks on foot, in cars, and on bikes, making for safer public venues.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner also explained that K9 dogs could save the lives of police ranks because they are fast, effective ways to stop a fugitive, and highly trained dogs can ‘sniff out’ well-hidden illegal substances that would go undetected by a human. “All-in-all police departments can do much better policing when they have a highly functional K9 unit because it gives officers much more flexibility when dealing with difficult situations.”