Pres Ali announces firearm law reforms, AI-driven policing to tackle crime

President Ali, in addressing the backlog in firearm licence applications, related that the current system is unsustainable, with hundreds of appeals clogging the process daily.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was at the time speaking at the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s annual Officers’ Conference, where he further stated, “Every day, people are applying for a firearm licence. Every day, I have to go through a hundred-plus appeals clogging up the system,” he said.
To ease demand, he announced plans for legislative amendments to allow access to non-lethal but effective weapons as a phased alternative.
“I’ve asked the Minister of Home Affairs to introduce special amendments to allow for non-lethal but effective weapons to deal with the high demands for firearm licences as a phased approach;”
He also suggested a tiered and graduated system in specific cases.
In addition, the President outlined plans for artificial intelligence–driven predictive policing, including national crime heat maps and proactive deployment models.
“We don’t want only a highly effective and efficient Police force in response,” he said. “We want a highly effective and efficient Police force in proactive policing.”
He also announced the development of an electronic crime-reporting platform that will allow citizens to report incidents directly from their mobile phones, with reports automatically routed to the nearest Police outpost.
“In that way, we can track response, and we can track performance,” he said.
On this note, he called for urgent restructuring of the GPF’s public communication systems, warning that weak or unstructured messaging can undermine public trust. “Communication is key to the work of the Guyana Police Force and the success of the Guyana Police.”
He cited international examples where poor communication has fuelled instability and misinformation.
Commending the Force for its performance over the past five years, President Ali said serious crime has fallen dramatically since 2020. “These are not accidental outcomes,” he said. “They are the product of strong leadership, professional policing, and massive investment.”
According to the data presented, Guyana recorded an average of 2,827 serious crimes annually between 2016 and 2020. That figure fell to 1441 per year between 2021 and 2025, an almost 50 per cent reduction.
Armed robbery dropped from more than 640 cases annually to fewer than 290, while break-and-enter offences declined by approximately 57 per cent.
However, the President said murders, domestic violence, school-based gang activity, and crimes against women remain “unacceptable” and require targeted national intervention.
“We have to deal decisively with domestic violence and every crime against women,” he said.
President Ali disclosed that total expenditure on policing between 2020 and 2025 amounted to approximately $141 billion, including $7.4 billion in capital investment. For 2026, the government has proposed approximately $31.4 billion for the Guyana Police Force.
“The government is not sparing any effort,” he said. “Making the country safer requires more than rhetoric. It requires investment.”
He concluded by emphasising that public safety is a shared national responsibility involving communities, families, faith-based organisations, and young people. “A safe Guyana will be achieved not only through enforcement alone, but through collective responsibility,” the President said.