Juvenile violence high on agenda for annual Police conference

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday kicked off its annual Police Officers Conference and among the issues high on the agenda for discussion over the three-day period is the juvenile violence.

Of recent, there has been a number of cases of schoolchildren engaging in violent confrontations.
In fact, only last week, there were two such instances in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), one of which resulted in a 15-year-old girl, a student of the Linden Foundation Secondary School, being stabbed in her back with a Rambo knife by another student.
Videos of the incident which surfaced online showed that the injured student was involved in a physical altercation with another female of the said school when she was stabbed in the lower back. The knife was left protruding from the child’s back as she bled profusely. She can be seen in the video begging for help to be taken to the hospital.
Two students, ages 12 and 14, were taken into custody for questioning but have since been released as the Police are conducting further investigations based on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Meanwhile, a separate incident saw a male student of the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) also being chopped last week by another student with a machete type weapon. The alleged assailant has since been arrested and placed on station bail.
Over the past few years, school violence has been on the rise in Guyana. Last year, there were two separate incidents in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) whereby students were engaged in physical confrontations at their respective schools. While, in February, a 15-year-old student of Covent Garden Secondary School, East Bank Demerara, was stabbed during an altercation with his classmates.
In the latter incident, a two-year suspended sentence was imposed on the two suspects and the victim’s family felt as though the justice system failed them since 15-year-old Shemuel Pierre has not fully recovered from the incident. These issues have raised concerns about the Juvenile Justice Act.
As such, it was revealed that the top brass of the Police Force will be looking into the Juvenile Justice Act and the escalation of juvenile delinquent behaviour.

Elections
In addition to this, the Force’s agenda during its annual conference also listed preparations for the upcoming March 2 General and Regional Elections, as well as migration for discussion.
During his feature address, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President David Granger, outlined the need for policing efforts to reach the most remote corners of the country. He further recognised that the existing 74 Police stations, 24 outposts and six checkpoints are inadequate to police Guyana’s territory and protect its population as well as fight transnational crime.
“There have to be changes so that no part of the country remains unmanned and no crime remains undetected,” he posited.
To this end, the Head of State noted that better systems have been put in place to enhance border security in light of increasing migration from regional and neighbouring countries. Among these is an expanded Tactical Services Unit, which is now being trained to protect the country’s porous borders, especially in ‘frontline’ communities.
“There are now more Venezuelan migrants in the country than there are Police Officers in the Police Force – something to think about. We’re covering five migrants for every policeman,” President Granger stated.
Other similar efforts include re-establishing an Aviation Unit within the Force, increasing its Mounted Branch and strengthening its Marine Branch.
This year’s Police Officers Conference is being held under the theme: “Maintaining the Security Sector Reform implementation to enhance public trust, security and capacity building”.
According to the Head of State, the Police Force has been assiduously implementing reforms over the past five years with the aim of reorganising, re-equipping and re-professionalising the country’s premier law enforcement agency to ensure greater public trust as well effective functioning.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Leslie James noted at the opening ceremony that the officers’ core will be engaged in intense dialogue with the aim of formulating systems to mitigate against crime and traffic lawlessness as they review strategies and work plans.
“Our mandate is clear, public security will be maintained through strategies to suppress crime with enhanced protocols and systems pertaining to law and order throughout the State of Guyana. Further, we are continually committed to ensuring that all members of the public are treated fairly as we work diligently to establish and maintaining positive relationships with our communities and key stakeholders,” the Top Cop asserted.