Police to acquire “fit for purpose” materials under reform programme

Police Commissioner Leslie James at a press briefing on Monday related that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was looking to acquire “fit for the purpose” materials and vehicles under the reform programme.
These developments stemmed from a “strategic plan” the Force has implemented on infrastructure development.
The Commissioner said the strategic plan, which commenced this year, will end in 2022.
“With regard to infrastructure development, I can tell you that part of what is in that plan is being clamoured for and from all indications, we are likely to obtain what we referring to as “fit for the purpose” material, fit for the purpose “vehicles,” he said. “After all, to do Police work you need to have “fit for the purpose” materials and vehicles.”
James further informed that a Police Reform Board has been set up. “There is a Police Reform Board, which generally consists of the Minister of Security, members of the Police Executive Leadership team and two other persons from civil society. That Board has a terms of reference … which that body will be guided by. The Minister is Chair and yours truly, deputy,” Commissioner James pointed out.
He added that in keeping with the Force’s strategic development plan, they were exploring the possibility of establishing a Traffic Advisory and Training Board.
Only in 2017, the crime-fighting capabilities of the GPF received a massive boost as the Chinese Government handed over a hefty donation of vehicles and equipment worth US$2.6 million.
Added to the existing Police fleet were 56 pickup trucks; 44 motorcycles; 35 All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) as well as five buses, carrying the signature blue and white finish and sirens.
Accompanying these was a total of 550 articles of protective gear, 70 computers (both desktops and laptops) along with other technical equipment, all aimed at improving the efficiency of the country’s crime-fighting force.
Days later, one of the donated vehicles ended up in an accident.
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) recently commended the Police for confronting violent crime in Berbice, but said it believed that much more could and should be done to address this challenge.
“The Commission is convinced of the need for significantly greater human and financial resources being placed at the disposal of the Police Force … The Commission believes there is considerable room for enhancement in intelligence gathering and analysis than is currently in place,” the Commission said in a missive.
Furthermore, the PSC went on to highlight its deep concerns over the “insufficient progress” being made with regard to the implementation of security sector reforms.
At the Police Force’s Annual Officers’ Conference earlier this year, President David Granger had underscored the need to accelerate the implementation of security sector reforms, which he said would, among other things, restore public trust in the Force as well as correct any mismanagement of the country’s premier law enforcement agency.
At the same event in January, the Top Cop had revealed that they had engaged their counterparts in the United Kingdom and had already begun implementing three main pillars of the reforms – training, human resources management and infrastructure.
The US$4.7 million Security Sector Reform Programme was initially launched in 2007, but was scrapped two years later after major disagreements between the then Administration and the United Kingdom Government over some of the conditions of the plan.
However, during a meeting with then British Prime Minister David Cameron back in 2016, President Granger had requested that the multimillion-dollar security sector pact be revived.