Community engagements aimed at fostering good relationship with Police – Top Cop

The Guyana Police Force will continue its community engagements across the country, in a bid to foster good relationship with residents and bolster crime-fighting resources.
Police Commissioner, Nigel Hoppie made this disclosure during a recent programme, indicating that these interactions will aid the Police in carrying out their duties. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, he noted that it was a timely move to introduce such an initiative, and efforts will be taken to ensure that it is sustained.
“This would be a sustained activity and certainly, we have been aided with our interactions with members of the communities. Outside of the Community Policing Group, we have policing engagements where Commanders would do outreaches within the regions. It was timely a little bit because of the COVID-19 pandemic but it is on the front burner. I don’t want to say when but we are going to make effort to ensure that this activity is sustained,” the Top Cop highlighted.
Hoppie pointed out that the youth groups and Community Policing Groups have supported engagements throughout the villages, as law enforcement seeks to play a role as a “partner” to the people.
“We have 65 youth groups with a total membership of about 3775 and there are also 10 police scout group with 321 youths being involved. So, there is no doubt that our efforts is to continuously engage members of the community and create that bond necessary so that the Police would not only be seen as a crime fighter but the Police could be seen as a friend and partner.”
Lauding the interactions was Assistant Commissioner of Police Simon McBean, who credited the decrease in crime rate to the advent of policing groups throughout the world. He shared the opinion that as society evolves, authorities and the Police need to step away from traditional roles and find newer effective ways.
McBean stated, “It has brought about and showed diligence in crime control. Since in the 90s, there is a global crime reduction, which again is being credited to the new policing strategy, which is community policing. We will continue to embrace that new policing strategy and it will always provide the results that we are seeing. We will sit with the community, discuss issues that are affecting them. Some of the requirements are outside of our traditional policing efforts.”
Last year, the Home Affairs Ministry restructured and relaunched the Community Policing Groups (CPGs) with a focus to rebuild, boost its membership and regain trust within communities to prevent crime.
Minister Robeson Benn had underscored the importance of CPGs to maintaining order within communities. An increase in crimes, he said, can be linked to a reduction in active CPGs. The 2020 and 2019 year-to-date figures have shown a marked increase in armed robberies by 20 per cent and robbery with aggravation by 27 per cent, he said, underscoring the need for reactivating the groups.
The overall goal is to increase membership to 5000 nationwide, with proper management.
“The promoting of safe communities and neighbourhoods can only come through enabling and rebuilding of community trust and confidence through a system of volunteerism, using law-abiding citizens to bolster and aid the lawful, professional and human rights embracing efforts of Guyana Police Force,” Minister Benn is quoted as saying.