‒ over 1000 children benefit from informational talks
Over 1000 children from the various youth groups within the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) A Division turned out at the Force’s 5th annual career day fair on Saturday.
Deputy Commissioner Paul Williams and Commander Chapman interacting with some of the youths at the 5th annual A Division career fair
The event, which was held at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary, under the theme “Empowering positive change through career exploration, think outside the box, sweet success”.
Police Commander of A Division, Marlon Chapman boasted that this activity has become one of the hallmarks of initiatives launched by the GPF to reach out to vulnerable youths in a positive way.
“It is aimed solely at keeping them away from the street, crime and criminal influences, assisting our efforts to fulfil one of [our] mandates which is to prevent crime, what better way than to achieve this than to go into the communities and offer the youths opportunities?”
Children examining equipment used by the Guyana Police Force
Each exhibitor at the fair, he said, had an instrumental role to play in providing the youths with vital information and a possible career path “so that they can grow to become productive members of society. To the members of the Social Crime Prevention Programme, I can assure that senior and junior ranks of this are committed to ensure the success of this programme each year and same will be sustained in the future”.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of the Force, Paul Williams, who represented Commissioner Leslie James at the event, stated that such an initiative is of great importance, not only to A Division but the entire Police Force.
He explained that the genesis of this career fair was in 1992 under the stewardship of the late and former Police Commissioner, Laurie Lewis, and at that time the GPF embarked upon engagement with youths especially those who were vulnerable and those the Force wanted to impact in the Tiger Bay, Georgetown area.
“Our observation in that neighbourhood is that such an event brought about a reduction of youths moving in the direction in following the patterns of adults who they would have observed involved in criminal and illegal activities.
Also, that of itself caused the parents to really truly recognise the importance of working together with the GPF and the impact we made on their children’s lives in a positive direction. Out of that programme, I can say that several of those youths, grown into adulthood, became members of the GPF and still serve in the GPF,” he said.
In light of this, the Deputy Commissioner explained that upon recognising the progress of such a venture and noticing the positive impact it brought about, it became mandatory for all of the Commanders across the seven Divisions to move into that direction in relation to the formation of youth groups and scouting groups.
“Today, A Division has continued to show its importance and its commitment towards sustaining the development of youths. We, the members of the GPF, recognise that embarking on this journey will help us a lot in terms of making our youths better, give them an opportunity to see there is much more to offer in life rather the community where they just grow up.
Also, we help them to embark them upon a changed culture and to realise that where they are born does not create a permanent disposition to what is there for them in the future, and with that engagement we have continued to see a great reduction in crime, we have continued to see a great reduction in crime involving youths…”
At Saturday’s event, there were booths from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), Public Health Ministry, GT&T, and E R Burrowes School of Art among others. (Kristen Macklingam)
