Security reform recommendations should not gather ‘dust’- UK envoy

Mar 21, 2017 News

By Brushell Blackman
British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, is urging that action be taken on the recommendations that were put forward towards the strengthening and reformation of the local security sector.

From left, Senior Security Sector Reform Advisor, Russell Combe; Facilitator of the RALON Training Programme, Coran Oakley; Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine; British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn and Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix

Quinn expressed this view yesterday at the opening of a Risk and Liaison Overseas Network (RALON) Training for Guyana Immigration officers at the Guyana Police Force Training Centre, Eve Leary.
The United Kingdom (UK) envoy said that President David Granger had approached him two weeks into his presidency, soliciting help in transforming the local security sector. Quinn explained that British Senior Security Sector Reform Advisor, Russell Combe, has been in Guyana for the past seven weeks, and is on a fact-finding mission gathering data to make practical and informed recommendations to the president.
Quinn stated that at the end of this exercise, how the implementations are carried out will be a decision for the government, but he is hopeful that the recommendations put forward by Combe will be acted upon swiftly. He explained that his country has done similar reviews for Guyana in the past and very little, if anything, had been done based on the findings of those documents.
It is with this in mind that Quinn is hopeful that things will go in a different direction and that the current security reform recommendations will see the light of day. “We are funding the advisor here, not to produce a piece of paper which looks good on a shelf”.
Quinn said that it was important that the public is made aware that the implementations of the recommendation will not be a decision for Combe, but will be a broader undertaking across all spheres of the local security sector. He stated that he was given all assurances by the ruling administration that the recommendations will be implemented with alacrity.

A section of the Immigration Officers gathered at the RALON training yesterday.

Addressing Immigration Officers at the RALON training yesterday, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix said that the training session comes at a time when there are a number of evolving challenges on the immigration front. Felix said that it was important that officers are adequately trained to confront these issues.
The minister said that the training will equip the officers to detect trafficking in persons – a social challenge that is plaguing a number of countries across the globe. The training will also be tailored to deal with passport fraud and the trafficking of illicit drugs through airports and borders.
Felix reminded the officers gathered that it is important that they perform their duties with courtesy and professionalism, since they will be the first set of persons that visitors will see upon arrival in Guyana.
Felix asserted that officers’ interaction with visitors can determine the impression one gets of the country. Summing up the importance of the training succinctly, Felix said, “You (immigration officers) will never have a second opportunity to make a first impression”.

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