U.S- based organisation commissions modern IT Lab at Felix Austin Police College

Jun 03, 2012 News

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By Leon Suseran

The police recruits stationed at the Felix Austin Police College (FAPC) ‘B’

Division at Adventure, Corentyne, now have the luxury of having their very own computer centre on the college campus. They had to depend on the use of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC) laboratory at Tain for Information Technology (IT) education and training.
Yesterday, the state-of-the-art Guyana Police Force/Zara Computer Centre was officially commissioned by the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee and Police Commissioner (Ag), Leroy Brumell. The ceremony was held at the college and saw the attendance of several high-level and senior security officials within the GPF.
The initiative which began several months ago, is a collaborative effort of the Government of Guyana and the  Zara- The Dream makers, a U.S.- based organisation headed by Mr Nardeo Singh of New York.
A decision to construct an IT Lab in Guyana was made by the organisation a few months ago, and the GPF decided that Berbice was the best location since Eve Leary FAPC already has an IT Lab.
George  Sobhraj, Head of the Zara organization, noted that the gesture of building such a facility on the college grounds was not a charitable act, but rather “an opportunity…for the human race and we want you to make the best use of it”.
He added that the organisation has done similar work both in New York and in Guyana, with the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) and the Cove and John Ashram as well. Soon, it will pay for a scholarship for a student at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC).
“What we want is for this centre to be utilised seven days per week…as much as you can and have community- based programmes as well as programmes with the police force. You do that and you will make us all happy”. He warned those in charge to maintain and upkeep the facility and to make maximum use of it.
Mr Nardeo Singh, a U.S-based IT Computer Consultant, who planned the project, thanked Commissioner Brumell “for having the confidence in us.”
“Many people talk, but delivering is a different story. When he invited me to do a presentation with all the divisional commanders and the management of the GPF, I knew I had to deliver a convincing presentation for him to take the risk in having us work with the force, because if I fail, he fails”.

Crime Chief and Deputy- Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement) Seelall Persaud, DSM, who worked closely with Zara, said that the centre is one of the best in the country. He praised the Zara organisation whom he described as “professionals, with very clear objectives on what they want. They have very clear road maps to achieve the objectives”.
In contemporary times, he said, organisations decide that in order to be successful and competitive, they need to make quick decisions, “and they need access to information.”
“All the paper databases were converted to digital databases and that feeds right to the desk of the senior executives and other layers in the organisation”.
The world, he said, has become digital and “we have seen, over time, that operatives of transnational organised crime, have exploited every means in society to make money”.
Persaud added that criminals have infiltrated the air, sea and almost every sphere of commercial activity to conduct criminal activities. The world wide web is no exception “to their advantage and to the disadvantage to the development of the ordinary people and government institutions, society, etc”.
The intention, he added, is to train and sustain IT platforms that the force has “so that our ranks will be able to input data, access data, in order to make decisions at the investigative levels, at levels that do analysis for deployment as well as to make policy- decisions, and at all levels, this lab will contribute to skill- building”.
The lab, too, will also deliver community programmes, such as Youth Clubs which will train school children; adult education programme which will be free of cost and to meet the cost to operate the centre for the community, Persaud said that he has contacted Food For the Poor, “and they have indicated an interest to support at least that adult education programme”.
“We have also extended the use of the lab to the neighbouring schools and spoke to the Department of Education and agreed to, in the design of our day-to-day schedules, to fit all those programmes in”.
The Police Youth Club Programme and Recruit Training Programme, he stated, will begin on Monday. “We see this centre as a process, not a project. We will not allow you to come and cut the ribbon and walk away, so the engagement has started”.
Police Commissioner (Ag) Brumell stated how important it is for members of the force to be acquainted with the use of the computer “which brings along a new trend of crime in the world today”.
“This can only be achieved with each member of the force being computer literate. As such, I am sure that the Zara computer centre will enhance the skills in our division”.
He praised the Minister of Home Affairs for being the “driving force behind IT in this organisation”. “He is the agent of the government that is responsible for the institutional modernisation of this force”.
The College Committee, chaired by Mr Alex Foster, made tangible presentations to the Zara members, Minister Rohee, Commissioner Brumell, and Deputy Commissioner Persaud.
Shortly after, the plaque was unveiled by the senior police officials and minister and the ribbon was cut, followed by a tour of the computer centre.

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