All the major religions in Guyana were represented and there was a call by one participant for greater confidentiality and credibility when members of the public pass on information to the Police relating to criminal activity.

He contended that even though there is a lucrative award of $10M for information leading to the capture of the February 23rd prison escapees, no one is coming forward. He attributed this to a fear of reprisals by criminals because people are sceptical about their identities remaining confidential.

Greater visibility of patrols was another measure advocated by the participant to help instill confidence in the public and to dissuade criminals from carrying out attacks.

De-politicisation of criminality, preemptive rather than reactive approaches, and more timely responses to acts of criminality were strongly advocated as essential steps in the anti-crime approach.

It was contended that action is only taken when a situation gets out of hand because routine measures are not consistently enforced.

Participants noted that if simple regulations and laws like those concerning the playing of loud music are not enforced, then it is difficult to see how the more complex and difficult violations would be curbed. Such a situation leads to a lack of confidence in the Police Force, they pointed out.

However, the difficult and dangerous situations the Police are faced with were acknowledged, and calls were made for the revamping of the justice system and laws to block the loopholes that are preventing criminals from being brought to justice.

Corruption and the professional conduct of the security forces also need to be urgently tackled, and their positive efforts should be justly rewarded, religious representatives said.

The Police were represented at the forum by Assistant Commissioner, Laurie George and Senior Superintendent, Philbert Adams, while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was represented by Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Smith and Major Nazrul Hussain.

The representatives of the security forces outlined their roles and the measures they have implemented in combating the upsurge in violent crimes in various parts of Guyana.

Assistant Commissioner George said that investigation of crimes is being done in a diligent manner with teams involved in gathering scientific evidence from crime scenes.

Lieutenant Colonel Smith noted that the involvement of the GDF in supporting the Police Force can be traced back to 1969 when armed secessionists, albeit with overt foreign support, staged an insurrection in the Rupununi.

The murder of Policemen at Lethem and the breakdown of law and order necessitated the deployment of the GDF to that area to support the Police in the restoration of peace and normalcy, she said.

The chairman of the meeting, Bishop Juan Edghill, while observing that so far attendance at the national crime consultations has been small, noted that discourse and recommendations have been intense.