Stabroek News
July 3, 2001

A report on the police force is recommending the appointment of a Drug Czar to coordinate the country's enforcement and prevention efforts and the establishment of a centralized intelligence gathering system.

The report also recommends the implementation, as a matter of urgency, of the supervisory authority under the Money Laundering Pre-vention Act and the need to provide the Narcotics Branch with a financial investigation capability to seize assets.

The recommendations flow from a review of the operations of the Police Nar-cotics branch and the Cus-toms Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) carried out by consultants from the United Kingdom-based Symonds Group, which visited Guyana in October and November.

The group found as a result of discussions with the officers from both units that there was duplication of work with each believing that it had responsibility for the investigation of drug trafficking and related areas. It said too that the limited cooperation and exchange of information between the two units have led to both agencies targeting the same offenders from time to time, resulting in the duplication of work and operational compromise.

As a result, the report recommended clear terms of reference for the Narcotics Branch and CANU.

The report noted that there should be a greater investment in the use of informants and this should be given priority consideration. It pointed out that the ad hoc system now in place for managing informants is not appropriately funded nor managed closely enough. As a result it asserted that "there are enormous dangers of corruption and inappropriate practice."

The report said that it must be recognised that "recruiting and managing informants is a legitimate and cost effective means of detecting crime, providing that there is a clear policy and appropriate safeguards in place."

"The establishment of a clear policy and appropriate supervisory systems should include training for those who handle informants and those who supervise the handlers. This is in recognition that those who handle informants pose an enhanced risk of corruption." The report also noted that there was evidence of foreign nationals setting up bogus identities and companies in the country for the purpose of drug trafficking and suggests that to effectively address these problems an intelligence gathering system should be established so that the use of information from all sources could be maximized.

It said that "this would benefit from one person (a Drug Czar) having strategic responsibility for the development of drug enforcement and prevention across the country."

The report also noted that the Police did not make use of an offer from the regional anti-money laundering unit funded by the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union for its officers to attend the courses it sponsored. "This is an opportunity lost and is seen as regrettable".

It also recommends that the Narcotics Branch should avail itself of opportunities to work in partnership with other agencies which have similar or related aims to ensure they can access the best opportunities for mutually beneficial working practices.

The group found too that the Narcotics branch has a limited surveillance capacity, which curtails its capability and the lack of covert equipment undermines any skills it has.

About the personnel recruited by the Narcotics branch, the report homed in on the ineffectiveness of the policy of directly recruiting officers with no previous police experience. This, it said, has led to many ineffective officers in the department. It suggests that in view of the heightened risk of corruption all recruits to the department should have an investigative background and be positively vetted. It said that the vetting should include lifestyle checks and checks of the recruits' financial circumstances.

The group also recommended that the Narcotics branch should be provided with the appropriate equipment for the search of vehicles and luggage and suggests that the capability of the Canine Section should be overhauled in the light of the absence of any successful find since 1996.

The report also recommended that the drug education programme being conducted in the schools should continue to be supported and encouraged by the Police. "This particular project (DARE) is one with which the consultants are familiar and it has definitive benefits." (Patrick Denny)