EVER since taking office in January 2019, Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine said he has been asking Chief Constable Andrew Foo for a security plan for the City, but, to date, none has been submitted.

The mayor said it was shameful how the Constabulary Department and all other outposts under its control were being managed.

He was speaking last Monday when councillors met for their fortnightly statutory meeting at City Hall.

The mayor, in relating the unsightly condition at Bourda Market, just outside of Mike’s pharmacy, said he was almost sure if he asked the Bourda outpost what plans they had for the area, that they would not be able to provide an answer. The situation outside Mike’s pharmacy is made worse at nights, he informed the meeting.

Narine said just recently, he spent about four hours in the said area and could not see a single constable on the ground during that time. When he called the Constabulary office, he said he was mistreated. “This is the conduct of the constabulary department,” he said.
Recently, the Constabulary Department, with strength of just 173 staff members, took a decision to send 25 officers on leave at the same time. This did not go down well with several councillors.

Officer Peter Livingstone had sought to explain that while the officers’ absence will affect the job negatively, they were entitled to their leave. He said they would have indicated, since January, in which month they preferred to go on leave.

But Councillor Patricia Chase-Green observed that while all staff members fill out the roster, it was dependent on the department’s head to say if he could allow 25 persons to go all at once. She also called attention to the fact that the Christmas period was imminent and that the administration ought to look into the matter. Some of the officers were to proceed on 21 days leave, while some went for 14 days, and other amounts of time.
In a previous interview, Foo had told Guyana Chronicle that the department was short of 138 staff members, and that it was difficult to recruit new employees because of several factors, including low salaries.

The Constabulary has responsibility for the prevention and detection of crime in Georgetown and has similar powers and privileges of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
It also has the authority to prosecute persons for offences such as assault, disorderly behaviour, urinating in public places, using indecent language, encumbering the pavements and so forth.

The department also provides security for municipal markets, day-care centres, koker pumps and City Hall buildings, among others. The Enforcement Unit, which deals with itinerant vending and other breaches of the laws, is also very small and short of its full complement of staff.