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Police add water canon to armoury
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, yesterday handed over the recently imported water cannon to the Guyana Police Force. The handing over was done at the Tactical Services Unit Drill Square, Eve Leary. The equipment was received by Commissioner of Police Henry Greene.
The water canon which was handed over to the Guyana Police Force Yesterday.
Rohee pointed out that it is a mere coincidence that the arrival of the water canon is here with elections around the corner.
“As Minister responsible for maintaining public order in Guyana, it behooves me to ensure that the Guyana Police Force has the requisite tool to ensure that it is effectively equipped to take care or to ensure public order in our country whenever the situation so requires,”.
He noted that every modern police force in any part of the world once it is experiencing a process of modernization, has developments in its arsenal. This modernization can only be seen in the context of human resources.
Minister Rohee added that too often Governments are accused of talking modernization and not doing enough to modernize institutions such as the police force to ensure that it is able to effectively carry out its legal responsibility.
“I do not think that in the procurement of this equipment we must see it as an attempt to politicize the process. Obviously the politician will seek to politicize, but I don’t think it is necessary, a modern police force requires this vehicle and it is our view that it be provided with such a vehicle,” Rohee lamented.
“I read in the press where a member of the opposition claimed that the vehicle is aimed at intimidating members of the public but this is far from the truth,” Rohee added.
He further stated that if the police have to maintain public order then they have to have the means to do so, and a vehicle of this type is important in so doing. This equipment, he said, will do the force well as well as the country.
“No need to fear this vehicle it is only for those who will seek to disrupt the peace in an unlawful way”.
Commissioner Greene thanked the government for the gesture while noting that this will add to the force’s preparedness for the upcoming election and the Christmas season. He said that this will also boost the Force’s capabilities.
The commissioner also made reference to the force having to come under heavy fire a number of years ago and the Government coming forward and procuring several bullet-proof vehicles that have been quite useful.
“As part of strategies to maintain public order and to preserve peace the police have a role to play in ensuring the use of minimum force and under the concept of minimum force we ought to emphasize non-lethal force.”
He said that this equipment is one such good example. He added that the water canon is intended to be used in environments where there is crowd disorder and there is need for the police to bring back some degree of order. He further stressed that the use of the equipment is far less lethal than the use of firearms.
The equipment has tear-gas, foam and water capabilities.
When the 2011 Capital and Current Expenditures were unveiled during this year’s budget presentation, it had outlined a $37M allocation for the procurement of a water canon.
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