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Night vision goggles for police
Guyana’s fight to curtail criminal activity received a shot in the arm with a donation of night vision goggles and GPS systems by the British Government.
British High Commissioner to Guyana, Douglas Wheeler, made the presentation to Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee at the Home Affairs Ministry yesterday.
The equipment includes five GPS systems and six Generation 2+ night vision goggles intended for use by the Tactical Services Unit; two Canon digital cameras and five binoculars for the Criminal Intelligence Department.
High Commissioner Wheeler said that his Government is pleased to make the donation, which is intended to boost the operational capabilities of the Guyana Police Force.
According to Mr. Wheeler, training in the use of the GPS system and the night vision goggles will commence shortly.
He disclosed that 50 sets of body armour for the protection of ranks against high caliber weapons will also be made available to the local Police Force in the not too distant future.
“This is the form of demonstration of our support for the implementation of the Guyana Government’s Security Sector Reform Action Plan — a plan that is complemented by the implementation of other strategies by Government, such as Citizen’s Security and Judicial Reform,” the High Commissioner said.
He stated that the handing over of the items builds on a range of measures that the British Government has implemented as part of the immediate steps that were agreed with the Government of Guyana under the interim Memorandum of Understanding that was signed last year.
Already, a new and expanded Criminal Investigation Unit equipped with computers has been set, and the Brickdam Operations Room has been boosted with a new computer system and new telephones to indicate incoming calls.
Just recently the British Government also donated 50 radar guns that were deployed to Police stations throughout the country, while several training workshops which focused on Police/media relations were conducted by the UK.
According to the High Commissioner, discussions with the Government of Guyana are now taking place on how to take the next big step, a move towards the signing of a full Memorandum of Understanding between the two Governments.
This will release £4 million in new grant money under the British Assistance Programme.
“Both Governments recognize that any comprehensive security sector reform would create the capacity to tackle the complex threats facing Guyana, and the British Government is delighted to partner with the Government of Guyana to help meet that critical objective,” the High Commissioner stated.
Minister Rohee expressed gratitude for the donation on behalf of the Government.
He echoed the sentiments of High Commissioner Wheeler that Guyana faces a threat from dangerous elements who are seeking to disturb the tranquility of the country.
“These pieces of equipment will go a far way in enhancing the capabilities of the Guyana Police Force,” Rohee said.
He stressed that the Guyana Government is committed to the implementation of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan, steps of which have already been made at the Parliamentary level.
“I think that when we recognize the steps that have already been taken at the Parliamentary level and at the level of implementation of the interim MOU, we can say that we have indeed achieved quite a lot.
But there is much more yet to come, and we of course look forward to the signing of the full MOU between the Government of Guyana and the British Government, in order to ensure that the Security Reform Action Plan is implemented to the benefit of the law enforcement agencies here in Guyana and ultimately to the benefit of the people of our country,” the Home Affairs Minister asserted.
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