GPF hosts debate competition to foster better relationship between cops, citizens

The Guyana Police Force (GPF), in an effort to foster better relationships between Police and communities across the country, launched its Zara Computer Centre debate competitions that saw both Police officers and community members forming teams and competing with each other.
The competition began on March 22 and saw ten teams, each consisting of four persons, competing for the title.
Each centre was responsible for building a team of four (4), consisting of both past and present students of GPF Zara Computer Centre to compete in a friendly battle against each other. This allowed Police and civilians to work together on the same team to achieve one goal. This partnership is believed to transcend Police and citizens working together to solve and prevent crime.
The most recent competition was held on Friday last at the Officers’ Training Centre, Eve Leary, Georgetown. The Leonora Computer Centre and the Felix Austin Police College (FAPC) were the two teams competing in that competition which was also the quarter-final round, under the moot “The use of technology has reduced crimes.”
After a night of heated debate, the FAPC Computer Centre emerged victorious and was sent straight to the finals, awaiting their opponent.
Coordinator of Guyana Police Force Zara Computer Centres, Assistant Superintendent Gladwin Hanover in his brief remarks, mentioned that while it’s a friendly debate, the aim is to foster better Community relations. Hanover thanked the participants for their performance and added that he is anxiously awaiting the debate finals scheduled for May 2023.
The competition consisted of three rounds; for round one, the team with the most points heads to the quarter-finals and awaits the other teams, whereas in round two the team with the highest point heads to the finals, and the remaining team battles the team in the quarter-finals. The winner of the quarter-finals then qualifies for the finals.
Presently, team FAPC is already in the finals, and teams OTC and Bartica battle in the semi-finals on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Meanwhile, the GPF in collaboration with Men on a Mission (MoM) had also launched a dance competition called “Flava De Stage” in an effort to build better relations with youths around the country.
According to the GPF’s Public Relations Officer, Stan Gouveia, “One of the things that the Commissioner of Police seeks to, is to build partnerships with young people, to be able to get them to be meaningfully occupied in things that they enjoy and to be able to take them away from the temptation of other things. Which is going to help us also to build better relations with our vulnerable youths…so that they could see the Police in a different light.”
He also informed that the winning team of “Flava De Stage” will be chosen to represent Guyana at the official Caribbean Dance Competition (CDC) which is expected to host its first competition in Guyana sometime in August.