In an effort to lessen the incidents of noise pollution throughout Guyana, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force, has trained forty–three (43) police officers in noise management.
This training occurred on August 13 and 14, and the officers were drawn from police stations along the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara, including Wales, Leonora, Parika, Leguan, and Vreed-en-Hoop, among other places.
The training was aimed at building the capacity of police officers to better understand and manage noise emissions in the region.
Officers were exposed to topics such as EPA’s role in noise management, understanding noise and its impacts, regulatory responsibility of the EPA and the Guyana Police Force in noise management, and evidence-based enforcement of the noise regulations.
The second day of training involved practical application of the training, which included the use of the noise meter to collect evidence.
Participants agreed it is imperative that both the EPA and the GPF continue this joint initiative, to ensure compliance with the Noise Management Regulation 2000.
In 2022 the GPF signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the EPA to tackle noise nuisance, paving the way for greater collaboration between the EPA and the GPF in the areas of training and enforcement of noise management. The EPA and GPF said in that year their collaboration was allowing for implementation of more penalties. In that year,
the EPA presented the GPF with 25 sound level meters to aid in the GPF’s efforts to curb noise nuisance.
During the Memorandum of Agreement conference, it was realized that with collaboration of the EPA, the GPF would be able to implement heftier fines. It has been recorded that the fine for the first conviction of noise pollution is very small – $7500 to $10,000 and to $15,000. For the second offence, $10,000 to $20,000. Under the EPA Act, it is much heftier. It starts at $80,000 and proceeds to $750,000. (G2)
