Police on path to digitally investigate, report crime

A multimillion-dollar Police Records Management Information System (PRMIS) was on Thursday launched, aimed at equipping the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with the needed technology to investigate and report crime digitally.
Under the CariSECURE project, the technological hardware and software deemed necessary in advancing the work of GPF was handed over as Guyana curbs the various forms of criminal activities that plague the nation.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative to Guyana Luca Renda related that the primary objective is to reduce crime by improving the quality, comparability, reliability and use of data and promoting the use of information management system.
“The focus on this region is dictated by a stark reality. Despite progress in recent years, including here in Guyana, Latin America and the Caribbean remain unfortunately, by statistics, the most violent region in the world”.
According to the UN official, effectively addressing crime requires an integrated approach that enlists the collaboration of many Government agencies with the Police leading the way.
“It is critical that the Police force is equipped with all the tools required to be effective in the fight against crime, including modern technology. The Police must have improved information management system capacity through the use of modern information systems, along with new intelligence and emergency response system. These tools together can provide a new depth of data to improve operational policing, decision making and criminal justice research”.
He explained that the piloting of this modernized system at the Fort Wellington and Alberttown Police Stations will drastically improve the work and crime fighting skills of the local police.
“Police officers deployed to crime scenes would have the means to electronically enter information into a computer, store that information on a server, retrieve real time data, analyse trends, and prepare tactical operation and strategic reports in a more efficient and timely manner. The piloting of the application in two Police stations, Alberttown and Fort Wellington, will provide evidence and lessons that will be reviewed to scale up this approach nationally at a later stage”.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Government Mark Cullinane emphasised that criminals become savvier globally every day with their crimes becoming more sophisticated owing to information technology. He stated that this is the reason for an advanced data records management system.
“Such data will equip Police officials with the ability to conduct crime hotspot mapping, victim and offender profiling, and intelligence gathering. These are just some of the crucial competencies that will empower Police officers to effective fight crime. The PRMIS will assist in advancing the GPF into 21st century policing. PRMIS will shift the Police away from paper-based crime recording, resulting in greater efficiency through customised, digitised reporting processes”.
He added that in addition to the new system, Police officials would also be trained in crime analysis. Also, in the coming months, CariSECURE will establish an integrated system that connects key criminal justice agencies which policy makers will use to effectively allocate resources and develop programmes that result in positive outcomes for Guyana.
Additionally, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan stated that it is the hope for every Police station to be equipped with such technology following the six-month piloting phase.
“This system will make it easier to identify persons of interest and allow the user to easily pull up information on lists of persons who are known to be child molestors, sex offenders, deportees, murderer, and witnesses and also to know where there are…drug traffickers, gang members and even suspects that the Police would have taken a note of. All of these are going to be captured and even disaggregation can happen”.