All services will soon be available in hinterland regions – Reg 7 Commander

Regional Commander for Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni), Dion Moore on Tuesday said that the Force was heading in a direction that would ensure that all services were available to residents in the hinterland areas, and his region would not be an exception.
The Commander said that currently some services were only accessible at the Regional Headquarters, and the Guyana Police Force has begun decentralising to accommodate those in the hinterland areas.
He said even with some challenges faced, the Police ranks in the region were unique and strong, and he was proud of all of them. In this light, the Commander said this year, the region saw an overall reduction in serious crimes by 12.8 per cent when compared to last year’s figures.
The region also recorded reductions in robbery under arms, robbery with violence, break and enter and larceny, and rape.
In 2021, the region recorded four murders, a 60 per cent decrease. For robbery with violence, there was one incident last year, an 80 per cent decrease. However, regarding break and enter and larceny, five instances were recorded in 2021, compared to three in 2020, which represents an increase of 66 per cent.
In August, Police Commissioner (ag) Clifton Hicken revived the Hinterland Intelligence Committee (HIC) during a meeting with the President of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) Andron Alphonso at Eve Leary, Georgetown.
Given the geographic layout of the hinterland regions and the many challenges it poses, this intervention by the Top COP and his team was not only timely but necessary to guarantee safer communities by bolstering their security infrastructure through a partnership approach among the key stakeholders.
However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HIC was unable to meet for over two years. As such, the GGDMA said it saw the Committee as being extremely important for intelligence sharing and crime-fighting in the hinterland.
Last year, the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) established a Regional Intelligence Committee (RIC) aimed at identifying problems and providing solutions aimed at enhancing residents’ lives. (G9)