Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
A cursory look at Regent Street reveals a troubling presence
DEAR EDITOR,
A cursory look at Regent Street would reveal the troubling presence of a number of armed private security personnel, who are positioned on the pavement while providing security to a number of stores in the immediate vicinity.
However, while this new development is not peculiar to that locale, I have specifically singled out Regent Street because of its strategic importance to the local retail sector, and the fact that pedestrian, vehicular traffic, and vending activities increase progressively as one proceeds west.
A number of factors are responsible for that new development, but before I address it, please allow me to digress momentarily for purposes of clarification.
A copy of the Stabroek Business a monthly supplement, Vol 2 No 9 dated September 2002 carries an article titled ‘Business Sucks. Why?’ which is immediately followed by an article titled “The business of crime and its effect on businesses” by Norman McLean.
The opening paragraph reads – Guyana has been seized in the grip of a grave and serious crime wave. The author makes the point that six months after the famous dramatic escape from the Georgetown Prison by five notorious prisoners, we have witnessed the following:-
· 9 policemen killed
· 17 policemen injured
· 3 security guards killed
· 7 security guards injured
· 5 businessmen killed
· 75 businessmen injured
· 689 armed robberies
· 73 car/ hijacking
· 4,826 indictable crimes
This record, he concludes, had a devastating impact on police and public morale.
According to media reports, crime statistics for 2013, has showed striking similarity to those of 2002.
I shall now return to my original subject. The situation, which currently exists on Regent Street has it genesis in what obtained during the former government’s tenure in office.
During that era, there were four types of security outfits namely—those hereinafter defined as front entities for governmental officials, front entities for business persons, legitimate security companies and security protection provided by rogue members of the Joint Services and those provided by thugs (bad men).
With the coming to power of the APNU+AFC government, the latter two groups, faced with great uncertainty, dashed for cover and incorporated a number of security companies to legitimatize their operations, hence the noticeable increase in security outfits over the last three years.
While this is not at all unusual, what is unusual is the fact that the government of Guyana, both past and present, lacked the capacity to provide the necessary private security governance to effectively deal with the situation.
And because of the business environment in which it has operated, the security industry trade association, GAPSO, is equally hamstrung, and is in no better a position to effectively fulfill its mandate.
Recognizing its shortcomings and the need to rise to the task, GAPSO has engaged the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business to assist with the formulation of a conceptual framework to assist that entity to modernize its operation and provide the much needed leadership.
Meanwhile, as the international business school does its work, the first order of things should include elevating the technical and professional standing of its executive members to ensure that they are possessed of the common body of knowledge, which will equip them to interface with the local security industry, the government of Guyana and international organisations, as professionals par excellence.
Clairmont Featherstone
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