In 2021 – Gov’t made strides towards a safer Guyana

– Ministry of Home Affairs

– Sector Highlights 2021

The idea of living in a society where crimes are at a minimum is becoming a reality for Guyanese. In 2021, the country recorded a 21.9 per cent decrease in serious crimes, the steepest decrease in over a decade.

This comes on the heels of the PPP/C government spending its first full calendar year in office since assuming leadership of the country in August 2020. It is also a manifesto commitment of a Guyana with less crimes and safer communities.

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s directive to the Guyana Police Force at the start of 2021 was to restructure, rebrand and reorganise to better serve Guyanese, a directive that has led to the force having a successful year.

“The first issue is how we reposition ourselves, understanding where we are now as against where we should be, not where we ought to be,” the President said.

Robbery under arms saw a decrease of 33.6 per cent while there was a 19.5 per cent decrease in the offence of murder. The decrease is coupled with destruction of 33 fields of cannabis which yielded 1,680,980 plants, and 383,144.61 kilograms of dry cannabis. Additionally, there was the confiscation of 70 illegal firearms from the streets.

However, success of the force did not come without heavy investment by the Government. The investment includes both assets and training. President Ali, in fulfilling a commitment, handed over 50 vehicles to boost the force’s fleet capacity.

“The assets being provided to the Force are to boost its capability, its responsiveness, and people will judge us by the way in which we care for and use these assets,” President Ali said.

Further, millions of dollars were spent to rehabilitate and construct police stations across the country. The construction of the Aurora Police Station in Region Two and the reconstruction of the Ruimveldt and Providence Police Stations are just a few to mention. Members of the force also underwent training in a slew of areas.

Dr. Ali’s statistics-based crime-fighting strategy encompasses a range of plans to address crimes. Some of these include the use of technology, incentives for ranks who perform well and high penalties for persons found with illegal weapons.

Strengthening the army

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has also seen significant investments since the PPP/C took office. For starters, its air fleet has been boosted with the acquisition of an over $400 million BELL Helicopter which was handed over by President Ali.

“Indeed, we have a lot more economic assets to protect. We will have a larger economy. We have more sophisticated type of criminal activities to deal with. And all of this requires a modern forward looking, security architecture and that is what we are building,” the President stated.

A down payment of over $600M was made to acquire an offshore patrol vessel for the GDF’s Coast Guard to operate in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira told the National Assembly in June 2021 that it was an urgent matter given Guyana’s territorial issues, particularly in the Essequibo.

“We have our border issue, we have our waters where there were incursions, we have one old vessel and so therefore the decision was taken that one could acquire a new one. And this would probably if my memory is correct, it is the first time Guyana as a nation since independence is buying a brand-new patrol vessel,” the Minister said.

Enhancing the Fire Service’s capacity

Improving response times to fire calls has been a front burner issue for the Government. In response, a $614 million contract was signed to relocate the central fire station from the Stabroek Market area where it was congested, to Homestretch Avenue. Mobilisation for the construction of the building has already commenced.

Then there was the commissioning of a new fire station at Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara, the acquisition of nine fire tenders and the approval of $40M to repair fire hydrants in the city. There was also the training of over two dozen fire fighters for the towns of Mabaruma, Mahdia and Lethem.

Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said, “I have said before to some that the houses of the people in the interior also burn and there is loss of life and assets, grievous loss with respect to fire and so this response by Government is designed to reduce, mitigate to prevent those losses.”

Addressing prison overcrowding

Overcrowding in the prison system has been an age-old problem. The PPP/C Government has taken immediate steps to fix the situation with the ongoing construction of three lots at the Lusignan Prison. The structures will house 600 inmates.

Construction of the prison is moving apace and will be completed in February 2022. Construction is also ongoing at the Mazaruni and New Amsterdam Prisons.