Law enforcement officers ‘tightening’ activities at borders with Brazil

DPI, GUYANA, Friday, February 9, 2018

The Government of Guyana has been taking steps to train members of the Disciplined Services both locally and internationally, in an effort to adopt best practices in crime fighting, however, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, on Thursday, said these efforts can be reduced to “naught” if there is the absence of citizens’ partnership.

Minister Harmon emphasised that the partnership between citizens and the law enforcement agencies is pivotal to dealing with crime.

The Minister assured that “the criminal situation, we take it seriously and every single week the National Security Committee which the President chairs there is a report on these issues”.

He informed that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has a crime strategy, which comprises a raft of measures to deal with the issue of gun crimes and the presence of “CG motorcycle gangs.”

Further, the State Minister said the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is paying keen attention to the borders with neighbouring countries.

“We do not manufacture guns in Guyana and so what we are paying attention to now is what happens at our borders because when you look at the guns that are being used, those which have been recovered by the police and you check on the country of origin, we see a large amount of these guns coming from our neighbouring Brazil,” Minister Harmon revealed.

Brazil is one of the largest manufacturers of small arms weapons and the fact that Guyana’s borders allow for easy access from other countries, Minister Harmon said the weapons are entering the country.

In light of this “we are looking at tightening up our activities on the borders particularly so that we can prevent the inward flow of these things,” the State Minister said.

Internally, the police operations are targeting some of the communities where there are high incidences of criminal activities and are taking steps to deal with that.

“I trust that citizens will cooperate with the police in the crime-fighting activities that are taking place and will take place as a result of this spike in crime,” the Minister urged.

The matter of crime, he reiterated, is of concern because of the image it can create at a time when Government is seeking to attract foreign investments and to provide citizens and foreign investors with a safe place to operate.

Hence, the GPF is being equipped with the necessary resources to address crime.

 

By: Stacy Carmichael