Public Security budget falls short of public expectation - PPP

Public Security budget falls short of public expectation – PPP

Aug 28, 2015 News

– Denies 20% increase for Police, does not cater for smart street safe city initiative

By Abena Rockcliffe
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) did not squander the opportunity presented on Wednesday evening to grill the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan on allocations set aside in the National Budget for his Ministry.

Former Junior Finance Minister, Juan Edghill

Abundant questions were aimed at Ramjattan, with the bulk of it coming from former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee.
While deliberations on budgetary allocations are only supposed to attract questions, PPP members expressed comments to the effect that allocations for the Ministry were lacking when it comes to dealing with the task ahead—reducing crime—and have fallen short of the public expectations.
The failed expectations referred to include salary increases.
The PPP said that policemen and women expected a 20 percent salary increase as promised by the APNU+AFC coalition during the elections campaign. Instead, the budget only caters for a five percent increase, nothing different to what was offered by the PPP administration in recent years. Whether hypocritical in judgment or not, the PPP pointed out that policemen and women were expecting a better life from such an increase.
During his recent speech in the National Assembly in the midst of budget debate, Minister Ramjattan spoke of a demoralized police force. He listed five factors that contributed to such a phenomenon including lack of training, reduced leave and scarce promotion, but he did not note the low salary offered to police as one of these reasons. The minister totally ignored this fact.
It was former Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, who first pointed out that the allocations set aside for increase in salaries for lawmen and women is inadequate compared to what was promised.
When questioned, Ramjattan admitted that the allocations only represent a five percent increase, delivering 25 percent of what was promised. When Ramjattan made the admission, sarcastic outcries poured from the PPP benches. Members shouted things like, “Really! Only five percent, not 20; oh my God this is shocking and Oww dem police gon really be sad.”
Ramjattan responded, “no not 20, five, but this is something we are speaking to the Ministry of Finance about.”
Ramjattan was made to answer several other questions.
Rohee was first to spring to his feet when the Ministry came up for scrutiny. At one point Rohee posed about 10 consecutive questions before handing the baton to one of his colleagues.
The former Minister asked about equipment sourced for the forensic lab, staff for the lab, liaison officers and so forth.
Gail Teixeira questioned the money allocated for training of police “especially at a time when crime is on the rise.” She said that she did not think the money allocated for training was enough but Ramjattan “begged to differ.” Indeed, during his budget speech, Ramjattan had told the House that more needs to be done in the area of training. He said that this is an area where the PPP had fallen short as the former Minister, Rohee, denied many ranks the opportunity to train abroad.
Ramjattan spoke as well about a plan to put the City on camera.
He had told the House that government will install CCTV cameras on every city street as part of its plans to address the country’s escalating crime
Ramjattan said that under Phase Two of the Citizens Security Programme (CSP), government has formulated an emergency smart street safe city programme that will see the installation of over 100 CCTV cameras in and around the city, where over 50 percent of crimes are committed. Additionally, he said the strategy includes the construction of a command centre, where the footage would be monitored.
The impression was given that money was already set aside for this initiative as Ramjattan did not state in the House that the initiative was in its embryonic stage.
Therefore, the Minister was questioned as to directions where allocations for this project could have been found in the budget; this question was posed by former junior Minister of Finance, Juan Edghill.
It was only then the Minister indicated that the CCTV cameras proposal had to first get the backing of Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to ensure that funding could be made available for the purchasing of the cameras and the construction of the command centre.
Even though Ramjattan had indicated before that the initiative falls under the citizens security programme, he did not state that the IDB—which funds the programme—was yet to approve the change.
After that was noted, Edghill told Kaieteur News that Ramjattan, “jumped the gun, he was not supposed to make such an announcement until the programme is approved…the IDB can take a long time to approve it or can choose not to.”
Other questions posed to Ramjattan included one from Dharamkumar Seeraj, who asked whether Ramjattan was sending a wrong message to the public by employing the services of private security guards when his ministry controls the police force. Ramjattan responded, “that was inherited my friend.”