Police going after illegal guns
Guyana Chronicle
February 11, 2007
THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has resolved to aggressively pursue measures to reduce the number of illegal guns in the country and to pursue wanted persons, it said yesterday at the conclusion of its annual conference.
In addition, the Force said it would intensify targeted patrols to reduce crimes through intelligence and improve on Police response and build public confidence.
“It was emphasised that the Force must be servants and not masters of the public,” the GPF said in a statement.
The conference also endorsed the initiative with the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company in the creation of an emergency short messaging service [E-SMS], which will become operational from March 1, 2007. This is in order to alleviate the present difficulties with the 911 system.
The statement was issued after the Force completed the third day of deliberations of its conference, which was convened under the theme “Enhancing Community Safety and Security through Partnership, Professionalism and Reform”.
One hundred and thirty-nine officers, including thirty-five first timers, attended the conference.
Focal in the deliberations were issues raised by President Bharrat Jagdeo in his address on the opening of the conference.
These issues, the Force said, included the current crime trends, the traffic situation, Community and Neighbourhood Policing, Cricket World Cup 2007, key issues and concerns in divisions and branches, reform and the Rio Summit.
Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene, addressed officers on the President’s initiative on the reform of the Force including the special firearms unit, human resource development , intelligence gathering, forensic capability, and investigative capability.
Cricket and the Rio Summit
According to the GPF, the conference examined the implications of hosting both the Cricket World Cup (CWC) and the Rio Summit and deliberated on a wide range of issues and concerns including security for Teams, Officials, Media, Sponsors (TOMS) for CWC, and the ongoing training of ranks to facilitate their roles.
During these deliberations, the conference resolved to adopt strategies and implement tactics to ensure that the events are concluded in a peaceful and orderly environment for the safety of all concerned.
In an effort to enhance officers’ awareness of the security implications, table top exercises were conducted with relevant scenarios and these generated intense participation and discussion by officers, the Force reported.
Domestic Violence
According to the GPF, the conference recognised that domestic violence is a societal problem and requires an effective law enforcement response.
It was resolved to continue training ranks to understand their role as it relates to how complaints of domestic violence are treated.
The Force said there were discussions on provision in the reform package for facilities to be installed at stations to address the care and collection of evidence, affording privacy and confidentiality.
Traffic
In addressing traffic accidents and road fatalities, the conference resolved to enforce the traffic laws in all its forms and to complete all aspects of the reform by the end of 2007. These would include the ticketing system, review of the Learner/Driver programme, and four compulsory lectures to be attended by potential theoretical learner/drivers
There would also be a reintroduction of day and night eye tests for drivers and a review of the issuance of the regular driver and provisional drivers’ licences, the Force reported.