Dear Editor,
Many of us nearing retirement in the USA have been looking forward to the time when we would feel comfortable contemplating relocating to the land of our birth, or to visit for longer periods of time.
We also look forward to showing off our dear Guyana to our adult children and grandchildren, who have been told that their monies would be better spent on vacations in the Caribbean, Costa Rica or Europe, due to the security situation in our country.
The current political situation in the US has made the thought of remigrating all the more urgent, and we do hope that the day is near when deciding where to spend our golden years is not such a dilemma.
The new Government, by all accounts, has hit the ground running, and many of the Ministries have already put forth their agendas. We are waiting to hear from the Ministry of Security, and sincerely hope that meaningful, holistic changes are forthcoming, especially for the countryside. No country will ever be completely free of crime, but there is no doubt that the law enforcement agencies need much more in the way of resources, so as to have a fighting chance against the seemingly ever-increasing number of criminals.
The day we have a fully operational 911 system with fast response times to crime scenes would be the day we can say there is improvement.
To get to that day will take a concerted effort to ensure that Police officers are among the highest paid and best trained civil servants, so the Force would attract better qualified personnel, who will be accountable to the department.
It will also take professional oversight of the agency, highly trained prosecutors, and a judicial system that is reflective of the 21st century. These changes may be only the tip of the iceberg, but if we see some attempts at employing them, then we can have some hope. We do not expect to build our houses without all the fancy grill work over the windows and doors right away, but we would feel comfortable knowing that the Force will serve and protect if the need ever arises.
Respectfully,
S Ibrahim
