300 body cameras for cops, new firefighting equipment, as $44.8B approved for security sector

A whopping $44.8 billion has been approved for the Ministry of Home Affairs, a significant chunk of which will go towards strengthening the capacities of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
The sum of $30.3 billion was approved for the GPF, for which $1 billion will go towards the procurement of additional vehicles, including motorcycles, boats and engines, to boost the response capabilities of this entity.
An additional $5 billion has been set aside for rehabilitation of Police stations, while sums have also been budgeted for the procurement of some 300 body cameras for Police ranks.
Moreover, the sum of $1 billion has been allotted to advance construction of the new US$28 million 12-storey Brickdam Police Station, which is envisioned to become the new GPF Headquarters.
Significant investments would also be made in training of Police officers, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn told the Committee of Supply on Friday during the consideration of the budget estimates.

“The Guyana Police Force, given the challenges, both of crime nationally and transnational organised crime, has to be a modern Police Force. This requires training at all levels…[and] we are establishing a Police academy…there’s other work going on for proper education,” Minister Benn informed.
Meanwhile, the GFS will receive $4.3 billion this year, of which $505 million would be pumped into rehabilitation of fire stations countrywide. An additional $500 million would be utilised to purchase firefighting equipment to boost the capacity of that entity to respond to disasters. Among the equipment to be purchased are new water tenders, a new fire boat, new ambulances for the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), a new telescopic boom firefighting vehicle, as well as smaller firefighting vehicles. Sums have also been allotted for the procurement of more water bowsers and all-terrain firefighting vehicles for remote areas.
These heavy investments in the GFS, Minister Benn remarked, are significant, especially considering the increase in fires countrywide. He noted that there has been in excess of 180 per cent increase in fire calls in 2023, when compared to 2022.
The Committee of Supply also approved $6.4 billion to offset operations of the Guyana Prison Service, with $2.7 billion dedicated to enhancing its infrastructure while $20 million is earmarked to enhance the mobility of its officers.
The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has been granted $827.4 million to acquire the necessary resources for its ranks to carry out their duties in combatting the drug trade. Moreover, some $220 million was set aside to construct a new CANU Headquarters, while $80 million will be pumped into construction of a new Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters.
Additionally, the sum of $123 million was approved for Community Policing Groups, $78.3 million for the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), $90 million for the forensic laboratory, and $4.3 million to reconstruct the Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia, Georgetown. There are also plans to construction a Transitional Centre at Cummings Lodge to the tune of $82 million.
Further, the General Register Office (GRO) has been granted $317 million to ensure maintenance and security of the national registers, with sums from the $42.3 million to improve the rate of adult registration in the country.
According to Minister Benn, “There has been a serious deficit in terms of registering Guyanese… We have taken the position that we will employ people throughout all the regions, and we will get them registered as citizens of Guyana. We have the challenge with Venezuela, and we cannot have people going there without birth certificates and other documents to verify they are citizens of Guyana. This cannot continue,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, under questioning from Opposition Parliamentarian Khemraj Ramjattan, a former Minister of Security, it was revealed that some $278 million that was approved in 2023 for the payment of rates and taxes to the Georgetown City Council was in fact not paid, while a similar sum is being requested this year.
As such, Ramjattan asked “Why wasn’t it paid?” and
Benn explained, “We didn’t get around to it”, due to “exigencies”. (G11)