E Division has capacity to respond to 911 calls – Commander

…says state of roads may impact response time

While E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) has the capacity to respond to 911 calls, the deplorable state of the roads may have a negative impact on response time to emergencies.

This is according to Divisional Commander Fazil Karimbaksh, who noted that since the implementation of the 911 service, there has been prompt and timely response; however, since roads in the Region are not in good condition, some delay in response has been recorded.
The 911 service expanded throughout Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), including outlying areas such as Mabura, Ituni and Kwakwani. According to the Divisional Commander, adequate vehicles are available in these areas; however, he noted that there have rarely been calls from Ituni and Kwakwani so far. He stated that more calls were made from the more populated areas such as Linden. As such, the Commander encouraged the public to utilise the line in cases of emergencies.
“We encourage members of the public to feel free to call the 911 line, and we want the members of the public to know that the 911 lines, they are being monitored and everything is being recorded,” Karimbaksh said. The Divisional Commander has warned against prank calling, as he revealed that there have been a number of these. In such cases, he said, the Guyana Police Force will be moving to prosecute the callers.
“The 911 line is an emergency line and is not for that purpose. It is used to get help rapidly, quickly…,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents have called for panic buttons to be placed at major business places such as banks in the event of 911 emergencies. However, Karimbaksh noted that all 911 technological services were not yet in place to facilitate this. (Utamu Belle)