Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack has advocated for the reactivation of Toshaos to be trained to deal with simple offences at the Village Council level.
She was accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn to outreaches in the North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), where concerns regarding crime and other issues were addressed.
There, Ali-Hack said simple offences such as larceny and disorderly behaviour can be addressed by the village leaders. She reiterated that while the Toshaos have limited powers to deal with the lesser serious criminal offences, the more serious crimes must be dealt with by the Police.
Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and members of the Community Policing Group during the visit
She explained that such a system will help to ease the congestion within the criminal justice system, and charged residents to desist from criminal activities.
“We give them the training to deal with such matters and then the offenders are to be counselled. And for the more serious offences like the murders, manslaughters, rapes, and assaults, will be dealt with by the Police…You don’t have the types of jobs we have in Georgetown, so you should have more activities like farming so as to occupy your time and not get into community criminal offences,” the DPP told residents.
She admonished the Toshaos to marshal the residents and to make use of the resources to develop themselves by utilising the resources for economic gains, “and you will stay out of criminal activities.”
School children at the meeting
Communities of Annai Central, Kwatamang, Aranaputa and Karasabai were included in the visit. During several meetings, the DPP and Minister Benn addressed students and residents on a range of criminal offences from the more serious criminal indictable offences of murders and rapes to causing death by dangerous driving, trafficking in persons, the use of marijuana, simple larceny, break and enter and larceny and other social ills affecting the northern communities.
The DPP implored the residents including school-aged teenagers of the North Rupununi to say “no” to illicit drugs, consumption of alcohol and early teenage sexual relations.
The DPP’s charge to the secondary school students in particular, came against the background of an increased number of Police files for sexual offences and the use of illicit drugs received at the DPP’s Chambers for legal advice over the past three years.
Both the DPP and Minister Benn implored the students to focus on their own personal development through their education and to aim for high achievements.
“Take up your education and aim at qualifying yourselves to specialise in whatever profession you chose. Take advantage of the opportunities available. Do everything within your power to prevent a Police file from reaching the desk of the DPP, who has the difficult task of deciding whether to charge or not to charge,” Minister Benn added.
Minister Benn encouraged the students to get involved in sporting activities and promised to advocate for sports gear and equipment on their behalf from the subject Ministry.
Regional Chairman Brian Allicock and Police Commander Raphael Rose were also present at the community meetings, as they encouraged the residents to form and maintain good Police-community relations with the Police ranks stationed at all the various Police stations in the region.
