Police reform change board given new strategic plan
─ tasked with supporting plan
─ Min. Ramjattan urges rapid implementation
DPI, Guyana, Monday, February 25, 2019
Members of the newly formed Police Reform Change Board today received the New Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan.
This was done at an executive briefing which discussed the Police Reform Change Board and the New Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan.
According to the agenda for the briefing, it was done to increase stakeholders’ awareness of certain key mechanisms aimed at enhancing the work of the security sector and improving citizens’ security. Citizens’ security remains a major concern not only in Guyana but throughout the Caribbean, and the implementation of this new plan is expected to boost the national capacity to tackle crime, violence and insecurity.
British Senior Security Sector Reform Advisor, Russell Combe handed over the plan to Deputy Chairman of the board, Commissioner of Police, Leslie James. The advisor expressed the United Kingdom’s (UK) commitment to helping to boost Guyana’s security sector.
“The United Kingdom is committed to supporting this process, to supporting Guyana, in the change management of the police and the areas that we’ll be looking at in the future where additional support is necessary,” Combe said.
In his feature remarks, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan highlighted the need to have the implementation of the project expedited to avoid it being lost away on desks.
“You know I find sometimes; we suffer an inertia as a result of being given the report, after that it’s on the shelf and sometimes we have this bad habit of not ensuring that which is on the shelf is utilised, we are not going to allow that to happen here.”
The minister also referenced a recent report which spoke to managing the force’s finances and urged the use of newer budgeting models, such as priority budgeting.
“There is also another priority as I see it, going through these reports and the various recommendations there, to introduce a medium-term financial plan, and this priority-based budgeting that I talk about, which focuses on funding of outcomes which deliver the greatest outcomes, for our force.”
Since its assumption to office in 2015, the Coalition Government has been working assiduously to ensure the advancing of the security sector. Thus far, its actions have proven to enhance the work of the Guyana Police Force as this is testimony in the reduction of serious crimes, crimes being solved, more officers being trained (locally and internationally) and more importantly, the improvement of the relationship the force has with the public.
Nikosi Bruce.
Images: Jules Gibson.