The Joint Services--- a new lease on their effectiveness
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
February 12, 2007
Some interesting developments in national security have emerged recently, assuring Guyanese that the Joint Services are taking a very proactive approach to crime.
Of course the job of crime prevention is particularly included in the portfolio of the Guyana Police Force.
At the recently concluded Annual Police Officers Conference, there came a firm resolution to go after guns held illegally by persons, a phenomenon which has grown dramatically in recent years.
A review of robberies occurring daily tell us that there is a new and growing breed of gun-toting men, both young and old, and they are using these weapons to terrorise and pistol-whip and some times shoot and kill their victims.
Where are the guns coming from?
Are there breaches in our Customs surveillance? Are they entering the country across borders and not at ports of entries?
In addition to go after these firearms in the possession of persons with no licences, there are plans to further intensify police patrols and to reduce crime through enhanced intelligence reports.
We also note that a new emergency communication system will come into force on March 1, and this will address the problem of prompt responses to reports and the desire to “build public confidence in the force”.
These are commendable objectives which will challenge the capacity of the Police Force, and which are achievable through sustained determination and dedication.
And while we are on the matter of commendation, we take note of a recent report coming out of Berbice that a party of policemen from the station in New Amsterdam seized 5,000 gallons of smuggled fuel on a Corentyne beach, and refused a half a million dollar bribe from the perpetrators.
A bribe of this magnitude must be indeed tempting, and so we take our hats off to the policemen who stayed true to their oath of office, and did not succumb to the temptation as others might have done.
We would also like to reflect on a significant statement made by President Bharrat Jagdeo. The President commended the Joint services for a growing sense of Security of the country, and said that Guyanese owe them a debt of gratitude.
The Commander-in-Chief made the remark during the officers conference, as he especially referred to the security situation both before and after the general elections late last year.
The President said that for over a decade Guyana had developed a reputation for violence around elections time, and that the relatively peaceful environment during the 2006 elections was due to the efforts of the Joint Services as they broke the cycle of elections violence.
We are confident that our Joint Services have a new lease on their effectiveness, and that there is more than a glimmer at the end of the tunnel.