Driver’s licence, Police promotion exams to shift to Guyana Digital School

…Govt eyes special traffic court, demerit system expansion

The Government will move this year to fundamentally restructure policing, court operations, border security, and firearm licensing through sweeping technological upgrades and legislative reform, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced on Wednesday at the opening of the Annual Police Officers’ Conference.
Addressing senior officers, members of the National Security Committee, and representatives of the judiciary, the President said the Guyana Police Force (GPF) cannot modernise in isolation and warned that reforms must move simultaneously across the Police, judiciary, legislature, and prosecution services.
“We cannot narrowly look at a changing environment, the changing circumstances and demand of our Guyana Police Force in isolation of reforms in the judiciary and legislative reforms from the legislature,” the President said. “There must be a coming together.”
He proposed that discussions be convened among the three branches of Government to ensure reforms are “not half done but are critically and structurally integrated throughout the process.”
Central to the Government’s immediate agenda is the expansion of the e-ticketing system, which the president said has already improved order on the nation’s roadways by reducing human bias and interference. The electronic ticketing system was launched in April 2025.
“We have started the e-ticketing system that has been working tremendously well,” he said. “But that is just the first phase.”
Formally called the Safe Road Intelligent System (SRIS) in Guyana, this automated traffic enforcement network monitors speeding, seatbelt usage, and illegal third-lane driving. It uses AI-powered cameras, radar, and cloud infrastructure to issue digital tickets, and already, hundreds of offenders have been hauled before the courts.
With the increased volume of electronic violations, President Ali said the judiciary may be required to establish specialised traffic courts to prevent delays in prosecution.
“Because of the mass speed of this technology and the number of transactions, the judiciary may very well have to look at a specialised court to deal with traffic offences,” he said.
He further announced that he has directed the Minister of Home Affairs to look at legislative amendments that are necessary for a fully electronic process.
“The points demerit system will be integrated into the e-ticketing system,” the President said. “We don’t have to wait.”
In the meantime, the Head of State said, “E-ticketing, e-prosecution, but importantly, the writs, the warrants, and everything that has to be presented in court – all of this must be on an electronic platform. It is the only way we can achieve and celebrate the fullness of the technology,” he emphasised.
Under the proposed framework, unpaid tickets would trigger escalating penalties, including licence suspension under a tiered system.
“Our life matters. All of us have family members who use the roadways,” he stressed.
Exams moved to Guyana Digital School
President Ali also announced that theoretical examinations for promotion and licensing within the GPF will be shifted to the Guyana Digital School, removing the administrative responsibility from the Force and ensuring greater transparency and independence in the process. He explained that examination setting, marking and question generation will be managed through a technology-driven platform, with artificial intelligence used to generate questions from existing laws and regulations.
“All examinations would be independent from the Guyana Police Force. Theoretical examinations for licence and promotion exams will now be migrated to the Guyana Digital School,” the President said, adding that the move will allow officers to focus on operational duties while ensuring a more modern and efficient testing system.