Dear Editor,
When one reads the newspapers, at times one is given the impression that the Town Clerk of Georgetown, Royston King is trying to become a stand-up comedian.
The most recent yarn is his revelation of a plan to introduce a canine section at the City Council to help bolster its security capabilities. According to King, the Council would be putting in place a new canine section to provide support and complement the work of the security division. At the City Constabulary? Now come on! Is he serious? Is it the same City Constabulary who were so callous to their fellow humans that they dismissed three of their members for becoming pregnant that we are entrusting with these special pedigree dogs? What will be next in the pipeline of bright ideas? An Air Wing for the Constabulary to monitor itinerant vending from above by chopper? Or will they consider a SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team to go after people who are littering?
The first question to ask King is where he plans to get these dogs from and how much he plans to pay for them. And where are the trainers coming from? Not in-house. Where will they be kennelled? At City Hall? Of course, it is my hope that he will not attempt to deploy some stray mutts from off of the streets, but rather use purebred German shepherds, Belgian shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, Dobermans, or Rottweilers that are in perfect physical condition, which are breeds best chosen for police work as they are adaptable, versatile, strong, courageous and able to work under extreme climatic conditions.
But even at the level of the national Police, their canine division has seen a decline which was due mainly to economic circumstances, which have in turn had a negative influence upon the morale of the handlers. After the initial acquisition cost, there will be maintenance training and general living expenses for the dog, including food and vet care.
Then there will be the need for specially converted vehicles to transport them outfitted with items such as temperature monitors and door-poppers.
One of the main challenges to the welfare of Police dogs here in Guyana is the generally poor quality of water they consume and the prevailing intense heat. Will King buy water and install temperature control systems in their kennels? Will the Council purchase proper food for the dogs when they constantly run out of cash? Or they plan to snag some meat from the Abattoir each day when the butchers are not looking? Cooked dog food is deficient in many important nutrients, while manufactured dog food, the ration of choice, can be considered expensive.
And what will be the responsibilities of these dogs? Would they include locating lost persons; tracking criminals; searching for narcotics, explosives, crime scene evidence and lost property; VIP protection; crowd control, or will they just be chasing vendors and guarding the Markets and other municipal locations?
What will be the unit’s mission, its size and area of responsibility, and population demographics? What will be the types of terrain and probable areas of deployment, the types of law enforcement missions for which teams will be used, the number of installations, facilities or areas that can be more adequately protected because of the availability or use of the dogs?
It is time for City Hall to get real!
Best regards
James McOnnell
