Members of the two communities aired their views at separate sessions of the National Crime Consultations.

“There is a lot of tightening that needs to be done,” a female participant said, adding that some incidents have raised suspicions about the confidentiality and trust that the public has in the Army and the Police.

Participants said too that the Police should provide advice to persons who have been constantly receiving threats and that the Police should be equipped round-the-clock with firearms or should be licensed to carry their personal weapons.

It was recommended too that after retirement, the officers should be carefully `screened’ to determine whether they should remain firearm holders.

Another suggestion was that more investigations should be carried out into the background of police recruits and that the salaries of Police officers should be substantially increased.

“You cannot stamp out corruption right away, but if their welfare is looked after, they will perform better,” one resident opined.

And while the Government has been increasing the financial capacity of the Police Force, it is the view of the public that there should be additional financial allocations to acquire vehicles, equipment and protective gear for the Police.

Another view expressed at the meeting is that the media should not disclose to the public sensitive developments in the Police Force, as this information could be used by criminals to thwart the operations of the Police.

Residents also suggested that in the event of a Police or Army operation in a community, neighbouring communities should be notified prior to the operation.

National Service and skills training for young people were also high on the list of recommendations, and it was suggested that the education system should be geared more to imparting high morals, values, skills and discipline in students from as early as the Nursery level.

Moreover, it was proposed that there should be frequent Police inspection of schools and attention must be paid to the high level of dropouts.

On the issue of deportees, it is felt that they should be monitored more closely and that the Government should institute more land settlement schemes to prevent over-population in communities.

Also, it was recommended that there should be the decentralisation of employment opportunities away from Georgetown since this would prevent overpopulation as well as deter criminal elements from infiltrating communities.