Members of the Joint Services on Wednesday participated in one of several training exercises in preparation for the upcoming General and Regional Elections set for March 2, 2020.
Members of the Joint Services during a recent training exercise
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in statement posted on its Facebook Page, explained that “a study day and internal security training exercise” were held at the Police Officers Mess Annex and allowed for interaction among ranks of the various services.
On Thursday, a Private Sector delegation met with GDF’s Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West to discuss the organisation’s preparedness to deal with any situations that may arise during the election period.
The team comprised representatives of the Private Sector Commission, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) as well as the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).
“The central focus of the meeting was on matters relating to national security, pre- and post- elections period – in view of having and preserving a peaceful election period in Guyana,” a statement from the PSC said.
To this end, one of the key items discussed was the role and responsibility of the GDF as enshrined under the Constitution of Guyana.
According to the Commission, the Chief-of-Staff assured the Private Sector leaders that GDF’s intervention will be guided by its mandate as set out under the law especially concerning its role through the Joint Services by providing support to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in the event of an unrest.
Further, the Chief-of-Staff took the opportunity to express his interest for deeper collaboration with the Private Sector in national development as an important stakeholder.
In return, the PSC committed to strengthening its relationship with the Force in this regard and has committed to the sharing of information and greater collaboration as it relates to national security and national development.
Already, some 26 Police Officers were trained to deal with situations that may arise during this period.
Topics such as Use of Force, Use of Force Continuum and Election Offences following the Public Order Act Chapter 16:03 were discussed at the training.
According to the GPF, the training session was hosted at Brickdam Police Station and was conducted by Superintendent Karl Wilson, Officer-In-Charge of the Number Two Sub-Division which encompasses Princes Street, Georgetown-Agricola, Greater Georgetown.
