Just two months after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) cashed in on a total of 200 specially equipped bicycles donated by the Georgetown-based US Embassy, some 168 ranks successfully graduated from a Pedal Cycle Course, which sought to train the officers to maximise the efficiency of these crime-fighting tools.
Officials of the Guyana Police Force joined by a fraction of the graduating ranks of the Pedal Cycle Course
The course, which commenced on September 4 and ended on October 20, focused on much-needed capacity building in cycle repairs, tactical positioning of bikes and training group ride, among other areas.
The ranks participating in this initiative comprised 162 Constables, three Corporals and three Lance Corporals, from the various policing divisions across the country.
Upon successfully completing the training, the 168 officers of the GPF were awarded certificates and subsequently briefed by their respective Divisional Commanders and other senior officials on the ways in which they can apply their newfound knowledge and skills in relation to the safe use of these bicycles in combating crime.
The GPF Pedal Cycle Course was spearheaded by Corporal Kareem Hoosein and Woman Corporal Haley Fraser. Both Hoosein and Fraser were among the 12 officers who benefited from a safe use and efficiency forum, which was hosted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, in Nevada, prior to the handing over of the bicycles earlier this year.
It was back in August that the US Embassy in Georgetown presented the Police Force with the 200 pedal cycles and accessories as part of the country’s commitment to promoting community policing in Guyana.
This contribution, stemming from the US Government’s Big Brother Mission, carries a value of US$145,000.
At the handing-over ceremony, US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway underscored the significance of this endowment by saying, “The United States Department of State through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) assists countries around the world in strengthening the capacity of their law enforcement and supports their efforts to promote the rule of law.”
