Women urged to bring balance in Communities
─ Community Policing Groups encourages participation of women
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, March 10, 2019
The National Community Policing Groups (CPGs) are appealing to women to become active in community policing.
The charge was made by Amanza Desir, General Counsel for Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, at a Women’s Conference hosted by the National CPGs. The event held at the Uitvlugt Secondary School on the West Coast of Dements (WCD) formed part of the observance of their 43rd anniversary celebrations. Most of the attendees of the conference were women who represented various West Coast Demerara communities.
“No longer does policing require only strength and force, but it is more important to have good ethical character, excellent interpersonal skills, problem solving and conflict resolution skills and this is where we women come in,” Desir said.
In her presentation on women in the 21st Century, Desire also noted that women are a vital half of the component and their natural feminine instinct allows them to bring something to the table that men do not.
Among the other topics discussed were the Role of Women in the Community, Trafficking in Persons, and Women in the Business Sector.
Administrator of Community Policing of Guyana, Dennis Pompey said the objective of the conference is to inform women of their roles and responsibilities, not only in community policing but in their homes and in the community.
Head of the TIP (Trafficking in Persons) Unit at the Ministry of Public Security, Oliver Profitt’s presentation on Trafficking in Persons led to a serious discussion between him the participants who were eager to learn more. Pratt outlined ways to detect victims of human trafficking and sought to inform the women how they can address the issue in their communities. He underscored the three elements of Trafficking in Persons – act, means and purpose. Knowledge of these, Pratt said, will assist community policing groups when dealing with TIP cases.
Another presenter was Christine Profitt, founder of ‘The ScrubsHub’, a new business that provides professional scrub uniforms and accessories in Guyana. Her mandate in the conference was to enlighten the women of how to become confident entrepreneurs while pursuing their passions.
Community Policing Groups have played a pivotal role in the suppression and resolution of crimes nationally. It was disclosed at a recent meeting between the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan and the CPGs, that for 2018, there were over 9,000 patrols conducted that yielded tremendous benefits.
“This helped us uncover intelligence of prime criminal activities such as the carjacking ring that was dismantled on the East Coast and the Soesdyke Linden Highway, an illegal airstrip in Region nine, also in Kwakwani we were able to recover stolen equipment such as outboard engines,” Pompey disclosed.
Recently, the Ministry of Public Security has been including women to act as significant counterparts in bettering their communities by dealing with social issues
The theme for this year’s anniversary is ‘Community Policing: Partners in the promotion of a safe and secure nation’. Some of the other activities scheduled include spelling bees, interfaith service, a youth conference, a march and a fun day.
Alleya Hamilton
Images: Marceano Narine