— PM Phillips says real reform is underway

THREE missing persons cases have already been successfully resolved under the newly instituted Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the Guyana Police Force, which were enacted immediately after the tragic death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge.
According to Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, the government has begun implementing reforms to how missing persons cases are handled and these reforms that are already producing results.

Under these revised protocols, police are no longer required to wait 24 hours before acting on a missing person report. Instead, action is now immediate, and coordinated through a multi-agency national response system.
“We’ve already made some changes. On the books, we had this standing operating procedure where 24 hours would have had to pass before you take any major action on receiving a missing person report.
“As it is now, we have changed that. Immediately on receipt of a missing person report, the police are now obligated to take action. And not only act alone, but after the inter-agency setting, with all the other agencies that will able to assist in, you know, like bringing closure or finding the solution, whether

it will be rescuing the person or whether it will have to be a recovery operation,” Prime Minister Phillips said during an appearance on The Reset Talk Show on Wednesday.
Since the news SOPs were rolled out on April 29, there had three incidents of missing person reports – all of which the agencies were able to solve.

“The reform has already started as a result of this incident, but of course, they are greater and more strategic things to be done,” the Prime Minister said.
Phillips had previously explained that the SOPs now mandate instant action once a report is filed, triggering a “red alert” to activate the full network of supporting agencies, including the Child Care and Protection Agency, immigration, and health services.

The Prime Minister also highlighted strengthened oversight, with divisional commanders and the Missing Children/Persons Unit (MCPU) required to provide daily updates on ongoing investigations.

The new SOPs were introduced following the tragic discovery of Younge’s body which was discovered on April 25 in a hotel pool on the East Bank of Essequibo, a day after she was reported missing.
A post-mortem confirmed she died by drowning. Her death has spurred public outrage and deep reflection across the country.

“As a government, we remain not only committed to this case in getting to the bottom of it, but to ensure every public agency do they work better today than they were doing it yesterday…” Phillips stressed.”
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has also vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in the ongoing investigation — a commitment the Prime Minister echoed.

In an emotional moment during the interview, the Prime Minister shared his own connection to the national grief, “This is an incident that has gripped the nation and the diaspora. As a father of girls and a grandfather of girls, I feel a sense of loss here too,” he said.

The Guyana Police Force’s Corporate Communications Unit is now authorised to issue timely public alerts once cleared by the Office of the Commissioner, while divisional commanders and the Missing Children/Persons Unit are responsible for daily oversight of all active cases.
Though the investigation into Adriana’s death remains ongoing, Prime Minister reaffirmed that the reforms already in place are proof that the government intends to make lasting change — and that this tragedy will not be repeated.