Large budget allocations for prisons and police
$75M for Sophia station
Stabroek News
April 3, 2003
The Ministry of Home Affairs will be beefing up facilities for inmates and staff at the prisons at Mazaruni, Timehri and in the city.
It has also made allocations to continue improving the capacity of the police to deal with the ongoing crime wave.
In the Budget estimates announced last week, the Ministry has asked for $35m to rehabilitate the solitary division at the penal settlement at Mazaruni, three dormitories at the Timehri prisons, the infirmary at the Camp Street jail as well as a new dormitory at this facility.
It has also budgeted $75m to build a new police station at Sophia as well as completing the rehabilitation of the stations at Bartica, Mahaica, Blairmont and Reliance. Under this head it will also undertake the rehabilitation of the stations at East La Penitence, Timehri, Mibicuri, Cove and John, Vreed-en-Hoop, Kamarang, Enachu, Annai and Wakenaam.
It says that the rehabilitation work will contribute to providing improved accommodation for the Police Force and improving its operational efficiency.
The Ministry has also been allocated some $100m for the purchase of vehicles and outboard engines. This allocation is likely to cover the acquisition of a number of armoured vehicles, which Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj said last year that the Ministry was moving to acquire.
The estimates also indicate the allocation of $100m for the purchase of aircraft to establish its air support wing, another of the initiatives which Gajraj announced last year.
In keeping with another of the government’s initiatives to increase the crime fighting capacity of the force, the estimates reveal that $70m has been set aside for the purchase of equipment for the Traffic Department and communication, photographic, ballistic, fingerprinting and handwriting equipment for the Criminal Investigation Department, arms and ammunition as well as equipment for the Mounted Branch.
Missing from the estimates however is any allocation for the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to provide it with its own investigative unit. The PCA currently relies on the Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate complaints made against the police.
Under the Police Com-plaints Authority Act the PCA is required to supervise the investigations of all deaths and injuries caused by the Police as well as the discharge of a firearm by the police at a member of the public, including another police officer. Once the PCA is satisfied that the investigation has been properly conducted it is required to recommend to the Director of Public Prosecutions what course of action to take if the evidence reveals that an offence has been committed. In determining the action to be taken the DPP is required to take account of the PCA’s recommendation.
Other initiatives for which allocations have been budgeted include $4m for the purchase of VHF mobile radio sets, VHF hand held radios, whip antennas, chargeable portable radios and a long range radio network among other equipment to improve the communication capacity of the Guyana Fire Service.
Another $5m has also been allocated for suction hoses, ejector pumps, suction metal strainers, bolt croppers, ground monitors and pumps to improve the Fire Service’s fire-fighting capacity and operational efficiency.
There is provision for $24m to be spent to complete the fire station at Anna Regina and renovate the residences for officers and other facilities for the staff at the New Amsterdam Fire Station.
An allocation of $7.8m is also being made for the purchase of an ambulance and a minibus to improve the Service’s transportation facilities.
