WE will have to acquire, adopt and develop technology as the propellant, so to speak of our police force activities. The police force will not get far without the assistance of technology which must be appropriate to our country needs and has direct relevance to resource base and our environment.

According to the Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene,” Sometimes the 911 service does not work well in some areas,” .But according to Ms Tara Mattai, an overseas-based Guyanese, in her quest to help her drowning relatives, she used her cellular phone to call 911 the police emergency only. She said that she called about 25 times before her call was received. Too often we hear people calling the police and there is no response or late arrival on the scenes. More innocent people will continue to loose their lives like the Lusignan massacre because of police inaction and they will continue to damage the relationship between the police force and the public.

There should be no room for indiscipline in the police force, according to Alison Parker, GT&T Public Relation Officer, that it was no fault of the telephone company, so the speculation as to why no help arrived after 25 calls? Surely there is a need for an investigation into this matter. Over the years, the government has made massive investment in the police force.

The Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police must act urgently to remove the many problems which have in the past hampered the efficient running of the force. One of the most important of these is the problem of sitting in the police station doing nothing when calls are being made by members of the public.

And they must do so urgently. The Commissioner of Police must ensure that the administrative, managerial and other supportive arrangements are established to improve the 911 systems throughout the country.
MOHAMED KHAN