Over 600 cops trained abroad to strengthen security system, boost crime-fighting

In a push to modernise and professionalise law enforcement, more than 600 police rank from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have received international training in recent years. The initiative is part of the Government’s ongoing effort to enhance national security, improve investigative capacity and bolster public trust in the police force. The training, facilitated through partnerships with countries including the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), India, and China, focused on areas such as cybersecurity, forensic science, counterterrorism, community policing, intelligence gathering, and human rights enforcement.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) Ravindradat Budhram, unprecedented move is a central pillar of the Security Sector Reform Strategy, aimed at building a force that is smarter, more accountable, community-driven and restore public trust across the nation.
“I am jealous at the moment, simply because the present training has been modified to include gender-based training, domestic violence, computer training and a whole host of other training. One area that I would like to highlight under the recruitment is diversity… Over the years, we have trained over 600 officers at different institutions, economies and countries. The US, India, Canada, to name a few. They have trained in the area of information technology, domestic violence, investigation, to name a few”.
“Our officers on the job, we treat them with privilege because they are a human asset. Firstly, on the job training, we ensure that we have overseas training. At the moment, we have persons who are at law school in Trinidad and Bahamas, six who are pursuing their legal studies,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) said. A particularly striking transformation Budhram noted is in diversity and representation. He revealed that, today, over 380 Indigenous officers have been trained—a historic achievement already paying dividends in remote communities. “After then, I did not see any other indigenous unit at the training institution. Today, there are over 380 indigenous police who are trained at the economy. Complete training and the serving back in their communities at Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine”.
“In some communities, we have to rely on the indigenous people to guide us, especially at border locations… They know all the corners in the interior, regions one, seven, eight and nine. The language barrier that we would have experienced many years ago, that has been eliminated because the recruits are from the respective regions and they speak the dialect. Trust is building,” he added.
With a budget of $250 million allocated to human resource development within the GPF, Government is aiming to bolster the crime-fighting capabilities of the GPF and enhance law enforcement efficiency. One of the most recent trainings undertaken by GPF saw some 2,000 police officers and 762 detectives engaged ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections.