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Security sector reform hinges on oil revenue – Presidential Adviser
British security expert, Lt. Col (Ret’d) Russell Combe
Significant work has resulted in a security sector reform plan in the hands of President David Granger, but his Adviser, British security expert, Lt. Col (Ret’d) Russell Combe said implementing the recommendations will require significant funding.
Combe, who produced and delivered the report to the President in January, told Kaieteur News that he could not advise how Guyana should acquire the funding for the report. He did not provide an overall cost for implementing the recommendations.
“Clearly some aspects of what needs to be done in the security area will be expensive and would need an amount of funding which really perhaps could only be realized once the revenue from oil and gas becomes available to the Government,” Combe stated.
While Guyana is expected to start producing oil in 2020, experts forecast that the massive earnings predicted wouldn’t be felt immediately. Government is still to finalize the policy that will govern the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), specifically to hold oil revenue and disbursement.
Government has already indicated that monies accrued from the oil and gas sector will be used primarily for the development of the country’s infrastructure.
According to the adviser, Guyana must ensure that priorities for the implementation of the report are established by looking at the affordability of the recommendations.
Combe returned to Guyana earlier this month on a one-year stint to assist with the implementation process of the report. The President had said that the report aimed at addressing the root causes of crime and correcting the errors caused by over two decades of mismanagement of the security sector.
Combe noted that there is ongoing work on the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Then, last week, the UK completed a two-week training programme for investigators on anti-corruption, fraud and bribery.
“We have also got a number of specific focus areas such as the training that has happened in the fraud and anti-corruption and bribery course. We have the review of the maritime police which produced a huge number of recommendations which we need to address and take forward. There are lots of other areas where work is happening and I don’t want to underplay that because in the areas that has been supported by the United Kingdom,” Combe stated.
The British had offered funding of US$4.7B to support security sector reform, but according to the President, this was scrapped in 2009 by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration after the British Government had requested to have oversight of the programme, to ensure that there was ‘value for money’.
The President has been critical of the former governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP), pointing out that they have essentially ignored recommendations to improve the security sector over the years.
According to Combe, the report is a dynamic document that builds upon previous work and also a reference document for the various security sector players and actors.
He noted that the report places emphasis on the Police Force, but includes recommendations for improvement of the criminal justice system, the Guyana Coast Guard and the Guyana Prison Service.
The UK, Combe outlined, doesn’t want to see the report sitting on the shelf gathering dust.
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