Some speakers at the forum said, when a complaint is made to the Police by a member of the public against another, about noise nuisance or drugs, the complainant’s confidence is breached many times and the offending party is informed, leading to threats and assaults.

Other contributors were of the opinion that, because of distrust between the two major ethnic groups, the role of the Police should be redefined to make it more people-oriented.

One participant, quoting from the late poet Martin Carter, said: “All are involved, all are consumed” and suggested they look at themselves for answers.

His suggestion was to reactivate the Police youth groups/clubs towards rebuilding good relations with the Force.

Another said people of a certain ethnic group rejoice at the slaying of cops because their particular race is constantly harassed by the ranks.

The matter of thoroughly screening recruits was mentioned and one view expressed is that many of them might have been linked to anti-social cliques prior to joining the law enforcement agency.

More suggestions called for the resuscitation of Guyana National Service to provide skills and training for youths, some of whom are school dropouts and a review of the judicial system to produce speedier trials and night sittings of the Courts to reduce the backlog of cases.

Mention was also made about bandits having high-tech communication gadgets, which should be matched by Police on patrols.

At the forum, which is part of the countrywide series ending today, were Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe and Colonel Mark Phillips and Major Dindyal William of the Guyana Defence Force.