Parfaite Harmonie residents call for Police Station

…Minister Ramjattan says request “too late”

Security was among the top priorities discussed at a meeting held between law enforcement and Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara residents on Friday night at the community’s Primary School.
The meeting was the first in a series planned under an interactive community engagement programme by the Public Security Ministry towards addressing the security concerns of residents across the country.
At the meeting at the Parfaite Harmonie Primary School, a team – comprising D Division (West Demerara and East Bank Essequibo) Commander Leslie James; Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and Deputy Regional Executive Officer Jennifer Ferreira-Dougall – addressed concerns about speeding of vehicles, loud music playing in vehicles, adults preying on schoolgirls and the dumping of garbage.
They also responded to calls made for the establishment of “a much-needed Police Station” within the community.
Minister Ramjattan advised residents that “it is simply too late” to get the funding for the construction of the Police Station into the 2018 Budget. It is “well past” the deadline for the submission of programmes and projects for inclusion in the Budget, the Minister explained.
In the interim, as the Ministry works to address this concern, the Minister encouraged the residents to form a Community Policing Group, that will be the “eyes and ears of the community”, the Department of Public Information reported.

Garbage disposal
As it relates to the sore issue of the wanton disposal of garbage in the community, the residents disclosed that some were refusing to pay $400 per week for disposal services and instead had resorted to disposing of their garbage around the community.
Ramjattan observed that this was an issue that could be addressed by the members of the community themselves. He suggested that the residents report such acts as soon as they witness them.  He also called on those residents who engaged in such actions to desist, and warned of the consequences.
To address the unhealthy situation in the community as a result of the dumping, the Minister told the residents that he would seek to have a Community Organised for the Restoration of the Environment (CORE) group established in Parfaite Harmonie. CORE is aimed at empowering and bettering communities through the formation of community groups aimed at the beautification of the environment. Divisional Commander James assured that the issue of older men preying on schoolgirls was on the front burner for the Police. According to the Commander, he had instructed ranks a while back to embark on an intel-led operation. James stated, “I recalled three such persons were brought before me by my staff and I warned them, because when they were intercepted, they were not engaged in the act… we recorded it and they were warned sternly. Their excuses were that they were just relaxing, which, of course, was just an excuse.”
A campaign was also launched to address the issue of speeding, the playing of loud music and tinted vehicles. Since then, 10 persons were taken into custody and were scheduled to appear before the court.
The Commander told residents that he has an open-door policy and encouraged residents to visit his office whenever they have issues that need to be addressed. After the engagement, residents of the community expressed their gratitude on having a fruitful discussion. Wilbert Vyphuis, who has been living in La Parfaite Harmonie for the past four years, said: “We have to understand that it all comes down to resources, what you have and how you can best make use of it, so I am satisfied with what he said and I can only hope that the promises that were made, that those promises will be kept.” The next security meeting is set for Sunday with residents of Skeldon, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).