More persons urged to join Community Policing Groups

GUYANA, GINA, Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Vice President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, is calling for more persons to be involved in Community Policing Groups (CPGs). This call was made during the commencement of the CPGs Forty First (41st) Anniversary celebrations.

According to the Minister, CPGs usually have knowledge of the ‘bad johns’ within communities. He added that is it vital that more persons within communities join CPGs.

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

“The community generally knows and if they could be the eyes and ears and if they could give that preliminary detection work, we in the state that constitute police and so many other agencies, can be better equipped because we are more informed as to what is happening on the ground,” the minister pointed out.

Minister Ramjattan noted that there are 166 CPGs with a total of 4337 members.

Ramjattan noted that CPGs are usually the first responders to crimes within the communities.

In 2016, the CPGs conducted 15, 918 vehicular patrols, 5,729 motor cycle patrols, 1,521 bicycle patrols, 1,427 foot patrols, 857 boat patrols and 254 ATV patrols.

“The CPGs are an important supplement to the Guyana police force and they are better equipped to be the eyes and ears on the ground within communities for information that could be provided to the police,” the minister said.

Minister Ramjattan noted that even with low arrest numbers, the CPGs have significantly impacted on the level of crimes. “The fact is that patrols are on the streets at nights, in the various communities that have active CPGs, is where the crime rates are very low” the minister said.

The minister also called for members of the public to be more cooperative with law enforcement agencies. He urged that members of the public report crimes when they notice them being committed. “We notice that there is a tendency sometimes from society members to back away from these, and what we as members of the state are trying to do is bring it back and bring it back in a formalized system,” the Minister explained.

The Community Policing Groups are celebrating their 41st anniversary under the theme “Celebrating 41 years of Partnership Supporting Reform and Development”. The main activities during the celebrations will be held in Berbice, Region Six.

 

By: Isaiah Braithwaite

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