Atherly last Monday told the Disciplined Forces Commission (DFC) conducting the hearing at the Supreme Court Law Library in Georgetown that that was his message for the National Assembly to which the inquiry's findings will be forwarded.

He was responding to a question by Commissioner, Ret'd Brigadier David Granger, about the Army's needs given the changing context of its operations. Atherly said the Force needed to attract and keep personnel and intensify training to deal with both traditional and non-traditional functions.

These include a greater law enforcement role by the Coast Guard in light of increased smuggling of illegal drugs, fuel, arms and ammunition, among other crimes posing trans-national threats.

Atherly agreed with Granger that there is a nexus between border and coastal crimes, saying: If trans-border crimes are reduced significantly, some violent crimes on the coast would be reduced."

However, he said the Army could "do with a lot more resources" for better communication and mobility, noting that it could not help to stop such crimes altogether with what is available.

Atherly also said a lot of work still needs to done on crafting a national security strategy, which would help the GDF to better deal with emerging threats.

He acknowledged, as well, that intelligence gathering could be improved with greater cooperation from the public to prevent repetitive criminal violence.

Given the changing nature of crime today, Atherly said the military would be called on "more and more" to assist, and this is one of the reasons it is asking for additional troops.

Commissioners discussed the deployment of the Army in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, last year to help the Police control a violent crime wave spearheaded by criminals hiding in that village.

Atherly said it was initially a humanitarian mission to repair the damaged railway embankment road and reopen it to traffic, and help mend community-law enforcement relations.

It was the first time, he said, that the Army was called out to deal with a purely criminal situation.

"I think we supported the Police well under the circumstances," he told the Commission.

Atherly said it was "hard to say" whether there has been any change in a good civilian-military relationship prior to the Buxton mission. He noted that the GDF is better equipped to deal with situations of civil disorder, but the Police are "better trained" for internal crime fighting.

Threats emerging from border disputes with neighbouring Suriname and Venezuela, and the search for peaceful settlements, were also discussed at the Monday afternoon hearing.

Atherly said in the absence of formal agreements, conflicts can "intensify" - a serious concern for which the Army must be prepared.

He agreed with a suggestion by Granger that Guyana's economic development has been retarded by a failure to resolve these issues, recommending that diplomatic negotiations be backed up with strong military force.

The Commission resumed hearings tomorrow after a break to compile and present a report on its investigation into the Guyana Police Force.