“There will be no discrimination” – Region 1 Commander

Speaking on the issue of foreign nationals living in Guyana being discriminated against at times and deprived of justice because they are not Guyanese, Regional Commander of Region One (Barima-Waini), Superintendent Himnauth Sawh said it will not happen under his watch in the region.
The Commander said irrespective of nationality, justice must prevail according to the laws and Constitution of Guyana.
“It is a right and is deserving of our foreign partners. We will maintain balance in this region…”, he said.

He said to foster this, he will ensure that their education programmes continue to aggressively educate his ranks.
“… we want those who are ignorant to be brought up to speed with the requisite knowledge,” he posited.
Commander Sawh said he is currently working with stakeholders, primarily those who provide language services, to help with the issue of the language barrier in certain areas in the region.
“Whenever we have confrontations with persons of different languages, we can ensure that the requisite skillset is brought on board so that nobody is disenfranchised,” he explained.
He also said it is important for Guyana as a country that shares a border with Venezuela, to be very neutral and fair when it comes to dealing with certain cases. The Commander also expressed elation at the Government’s initiative to lend assistance to Venezuelan nationals.
“We do understand what is happening in Venezuela and I am very happy that our Government has taken a posture where we provide services to everyone equally… People will always say what they want to say, but we the Police must understand our roles and responsibilities.”
“We have taken an oath to serve and protect the people of Guyana, and under my watch, there will be no segregation,” he said.
The head of the region said there are several foreign nationals who are vulnerable and when they are found, his ranks try their best to render assistance as fast as possible.
“We engage our stakeholders to provide food supplies and other commodities that will help to bring relief. At the same time, we engage the requisite authorities…”, he said.
Commander Sawh also assured the public that he will continue to maintain his stand, and never turn a blind eye to unfair treatment and discrimination.
“We will deal with it frontally, we will do our assessment, we evaluate the security risks, but at the same time simultaneously, we will engage the requisite authorities with responsibilities for these situations.”