Royal Canadian Mounted Police to help with GPF reforms – Benn

…says Govt intent on upskilling, better equipping Disciplined Services

Strong bilateral relations between Guyana and Canada have led to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police offering its assistance to help with reform of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
During an appearance at the 2024 Mineral Exploration and Mining Convention, Home Affairs Robeson Benn spoke of efforts to revamp Guyana’s security system.
The minister recalled that on his last visit, he was able to visit two fire stations in Canada. Added to this is his meeting with Toronto’s Chief of Police.

Further, the minister said that wholescale reforms to the Guyana Police Force are on the way, with help soon expected from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
This would be in keeping with previous pronouncements made by Senior Minister in the Office of the Presidency, with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh.
“We look forward just now to a large project in reform of our Police Force. And the expectation is that we’ll use the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as partners in that project,” the Minister informed the attendees.

“There would be no development in Guyana if there is no proper security. And so, on those two fronts, we have to continue to make significant iterative improvements. We have to develop the question of integrity, communication, responsiveness in respect of the work we do. And we have to make sure we get the right mix of assets.”
According to Benn, the Government has plans to ensure the disciplined services are upskilled and better equipped. Added to this is the Government’s efforts to better diversify the disciplined and other services.
“Guyana is at the most profound, transformational and significant moment in its history. For myself, as Minister of Home Affairs, and I have to talk about that a little, we speak of increasing the peace in Guyana. Increasing the peace in Guyana relates to better diversity among our disciplined and other services,” Benn said.
“It relates to improving the way those Forces and persons relate to the people they have to deal with. Whether it’s as a Police person, Prison or Fire Service, it has to do with upskilling, awareness, training, learning more about how best things are done,” Benn added.
In total, the Guyana Police Force is set to receive a budget of $30.3 billion this year. The Government also has plans to improve the investigative and forensic capabilities of ranks by conducting local and regional training at a budgeted sum of $250 million.
During the 2024 budget presentation, Finance Minister Dr Singh had announced there is a need to fortify the training and human resource capabilities of the GPF to bring its authorized strength in alignment with international standards of policing.
To this end, he had reminded that a sum of $170 million was expended in 2023 towards the training of 1,752 ranks in areas such as gender-based violence and restorative justice, among others.
Against this backdrop, he had said the GPF would embark on major developmental training reform programmes which would enable ranks to receive training in various disciplines offered by renowned policing institutions, such as the New York Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (G3)