Mayor wants special unit to take vagrants off city streets

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council is advocating for the establishment of a special unit to rehabilitate social rejects and get them off the streets.
Mayor Ubraj Narine shared at a recent press conference that there needs to be a unit to handle the ongoing issue of vagrants on the streets of Georgetown.
“We continue to advocate at the level of the City Council to the Ministry and also other Government agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders, to let us come together and see how we can establish a special unit to deal with social rejects within the city of Georgetown.”

Mayor Narine said a comprehensive plan to address this issue was formulated and shared with the Human Services and Social Security Ministry. According to him, having these persons rehabilitated is in the best interest of the city.
“Social rejects within the city of Georgetown have been a problem for many decades…We’re really in need to have the social rejects placed in a home, where they can get treatment and better care so that they can be off the streets.”
Meanwhile, Narine added that some are involved in disruptive activities; one of the most recent matters led to a vagrant being escorted to the City Constabulary.
“Some of them are engaging in dumping garbage within the city…we had one threatening people on Carmichael Street opposite Scotiabank. The bank had to call me to look into that. We had that person escorted to the City Constabulary and we gave them a warning,” the Mayor told media operatives.
A few months ago, Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Traffic Department, Ramesh Ashram called for the removal of vagrants. According to the Traffic Chief, they pose dangers not only to themselves but to other road users as well. In fact, Ashram had disclosed that three persons lost their lives in 2021 as a result of being at intersections.
The Traffic Chief had further opined that the Human Services Ministry needs to play a part in getting those persons off the streets, to aid in the reduction of road fatalities.
Last year the Human Services and Social Security Ministry announced its aim to boost capacity at the Georgetown Night Shelter to tackle vagrants in the city. In June of 2022, a $5 million wing at the Night Shelter with capacity for 120 was commissioned by Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud. (G12)