Says new SOPs to trigger immediate police response to missing children reports

PRIME MINISTER, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Monday, assured the National Assembly that the Government of Guyana has been consistently implementing policies and programmes aimed at safeguarding the nation’s children.
The Prime Minister was responding to a motion moved by Opposition Parliamentarian Jermain Figueira, which called for the establishment of a national notification system similar to the United States’ “Amber Alert” in cases involving missing children.
In addressing the motion, Prime Minister Phillips reaffirmed that the government has been actively developing and executing policies across the country to protect children’s welfare.

He also stressed that the entire country shares the grief over the tragic death of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge and highlighted that steps have already been taken to facilitate an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death.
As part of these safeguarding measures, Phillips pointed to newly developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the Guyana Police Force, which are designed to overhaul the handling of missing children and persons’ reports.
Key among these changes, he said, is the removal of the traditional 24-hour waiting period before acting on missing person reports.

Under the new system, police are mandated to act immediately upon receiving a report, including the immediate activation of a “red alert” to trigger a national coordinated response.
In addition, the Police Force’s Corporate Communications Unit will be responsible for timely and accurate dissemination of public notices regarding missing persons, once authorized by the Office of the Commissioner of Police.

Senior oversight mechanisms are also being strengthened. Divisional commanders and the Missing Children/Persons Unit (MCPU) will maintain daily oversight of all active investigations and provide regular updates until each case is resolved.
Phillips noted that the Guyana Police Force will continue to work collaboratively with the Child Care and Protection Agency, the immigration department, health institutions, and other critical partners to ensure a comprehensive and effective response.
He further disclosed that these new SOPs will be officially gazetted today, Monday, 28 April 2025.

“I wish to remind this house, that even before these changes I wish to remind that we already had a childcare and protection agency that falls under the ambit of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security that has already been exercising responsibility for the protection and welfare of children throughout the length and breadth of Guyana,” Phillips stated.

He highlighted key programmes, including the ‘Every Child Safe’ initiative launched within the last four years.
This programme has also seen the ministry working with the children to apprise them of the laws and encourage reporting, and the addition of a 914 hotline in addition to a dedicated child protection hotline to increase reporting of cases of child abuse.

The Ministry of Human Services has also implemented grief and resilience support programmes, training for parents on child care and collaborative work with the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Units, including the development of a rapid response system for child abuse reports.

From a legislative standpoint, Phillips noted that newly enacted laws such as the Family Violence Act and the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act are part of the government’s broader strategy to strengthen protections for children.
“These are all initiatives that are geared towards protecting our children,” the Prime Minister affirmed.