–President Ali affirms; says nation should be proud of the development of the law enforcement agency so far
–technology will make policing more efficient; welfare enhancement to remain a priority area
–Police force must be so professional that safeguarding democracy, the rule of law is natural

By Feona Morrison
THE nation should be proud of the advancements and achievements within the Guyana Police Force (GPF), President Dr Irfaan Ali has said.
At the Police Officers’ Mess Annex in Eve Leary, Georgetown, on Thursday, the Annual Police Officers’ Conference opened with the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces giving the feature address.

President Ali, who expressed his admiration and pride in the law enforcement agency, said: “We ought to be very proud of the development in the Guyana Police Force over the last year in human resource development, performance improvement, improvement in productivity, and improvement in results, save and except for the situation on the roadways.”

He challenged all parties involved to collaborate in order to develop novel strategies for addressing how road users think, act, and behave, noting that it is regrettable that the government has to resort to this when road users are expected to act in a responsible manner.

“If I may look at the last year for the Guyana Police Force, I will say that we had the greatest expansion of training for our men and women in uniform. We had tremendous transitions of persons now having first degrees, diplomas, masters, PhDs, pursuing law. We are in a situation now where I believe that in the next four or five years, we will have a highly trained, competent and qualified Police Force and this is an important part of the transition,” he said.

Further, as part of strategic planning and enhancement, Dr Ali tasked the Guyana Police Force with strengthening regional partnerships and integrating its current operations with regional policing.

“I must say today, that we are very proud that in the last year, we have been able to not only deepen that relationship but to expand it to the point where we are at the final stages of having an internationally accredited Police Academy here in Guyana that will serve all of the region.

“This is one of the things that we wanted to achieve…build infrastructure here, build systems here that are of international standards because we believe this is how we can share our prosperity with the rest of the region,” the Head of State said.

He related that Guyana is now fully integrated into the Regional Security System (RSS), leading numerous regional institutions, collaborating with extra-regional partners, and expanding its partnerships with the United States of America (USA), India, and the United Kingdom (UK).

The President expressed happiness about the ongoing training of Police prosecutors, pointing out that it helps them become more competent in executing their duties.

IMPROVED WELFARE
According to the Head of State, efforts to increase job satisfaction will remain a top priority for the government. These efforts, he noted, include rewarding excellent work, providing chances for professional development, and creating a supportive work environment that encourages cooperation, accountability, and respect within the Police Force.

Dr Ali said: “There’s a human value in appreciation. So, what I’ve seen in the Police Force is that you have good Police [ranks], who would work 30 years and retire as a constable.”
He said that the system’s design is the reason behind this and it has to be remedied.

“So, we have to find an innovative way in which the human assets feel appreciated and feel connected for after 30 years of service, after 10 years of service and after 15 years of service. So, you don’t have someone knowing their father as a constable and retiring 30 years as a constable,” the Head of State said.

President Ali assured ranks that the government will be able to enhance the benefits package for public employees given the “magnitude” of resources coming into Guyana.

“We have also been able to work on improving the total welfare package of our men and women in uniform. There is still a lot of work to be done and that work will continue. I want to assure you that, by the time we get to 2027, our workers across this country… our doctors, our teachers, our nurses will see Guyana as an attractive destination for human resource deployment,” the Head of State said.

TECH POLICING
Despite the immense value of human resources, the future of the Police Force, according to him, depends on technology and people-centred policing.
He said: “It is about engagement because with the best technology you require engagement. Technology does not bring the human aspect of policing and the human aspect of policing is human connectivity.

We in the government are making investments in infrastructure, building safe places, building recreational facilities, building parks for families.
“And when we say community, it is not community policing alone, it is community security.

It is having community integrated in the ownership of their own security, having community integrated in the building of their own security for those communities. This community I am talking about is building how the Police integrates itself in building sustainable communities where we support and foster family development, networking within the communities and how we use the community as a tool to instill values, discipline and instill a community ownership approach to building wealth, building opportunities and supporting each other.”

President Ali said that policymaking, decision-making, judicial services, and Police services must now all operate at a speed and pace that the institutional arrangement was not built to support. This is a fundamental issue that needs to be resolved given the rapid speed at which development is taking place in Guyana, the Guyanese leader emphasised.

He provided an explanation, stating: “When you look at the size of our fiscal implementation space, look at the size of the budget for every agency, you will understand that our institutional systems were never built to support this magnitude of expansion and growth.”

Fortunately, technology, according to Dr. Ali, offers the chance to close this gap more quickly because the nation currently lacks the human resources necessary to deploy at the scale needed in several sectors, such as government services, engineering, security, and construction.

HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL
President Ali stressed that it is crucial: “[That] we build a highly professional Police Force so that any citizen can go to bed, sleep well, knowing that there are institutions in our country that will not falter and disappoint the people of this country,” as he urged members of the Police Force to behave and conduct themselves with professionalism.

The Head of State added: “In doing so, the Police force must be so professional that safeguarding democracy and the rule of law is natural. It’s not based on influence, but it’s natural; it becomes an inherent character and an inherent part of who you are when you put on the uniform.”

“When you put on this uniform and people look at you, they must see someone who will not hide when a country needs them to defend democracy, defend the rule of law, and uphold your constitutional requirement and that is all we want,” he told the ranks, reminding them that wearing a Police uniform symbolises their representation for Guyana.

Under the theme “Transformative Unity: Nurturing Trust, Youth Development, Professionalism and Safety Through Competence and Strategic Partnerships,” the Annual Police Officers’ Conference is taking place from March 7–9.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, senior officers of the Police Force, Guyana Prison Service (GPS), and Guyana Defence Force (GDF), as well as representatives from the diplomatic community, judiciary, and magistracy, were present for the opening on Thursday. Former Police Commissioners were also in attendance.