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Four new divisional headquarters for police force
Major improvements are on the table for the Guyana Police Force, according to Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, who delivered a marathon budget speech last week.
Of the plans outlined to vastly reform the force, Minister Jordan disclosed that nearly $700,000,000 has been allocated to improve buildings, including the construction of four new divisional headquarters in Regions One, Four, Five and Eight.
According to the Finance Minister, the focus of the Guyana Police Force in the coming year will be on the consolidation of existing facilities and expansion of services to cover larger areas.
“To better plan and execute its mandate, the GPF has undertaken to harmonize its divisional boundaries with those of the administrative regions in a phased manner, with a view to ensuring that each region has at least one divisional headquarters.”
Leslie James being sworn in as Top Cop
It was further revealed that about $500,000 has been allocated for the expansion of the police vehicular and marine fleets, canine and mounted branches, as well as for the procurement of ballistic, crime scene and other equipment.
Jordan said that the force is in a better position to deliver on its mandate of serving and protecting the citizens with the substantial increase in its budgetary allocation, acquisition of equipment, refurbishment of police stations, increased training opportunities for all ranks, and the recruitment of 1,500 more since 2015.
Currently, there are seven divisional headquarters, which are headed by commanders. The composition of the divisional headquarters also includes a second in command, divisional detective officer and an officer in charge of traffic.
These are ‘A’ Division headed by Assistant Superintendent Marlon Chapman, ‘B’ Division headed by Senior Superintendent P. Langevine, ‘C’ Division headed by Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus, ‘D’ headed by Senior Superintendent E. Cooper, ‘E’ Division headed by Superintendent L. Lord, ‘F’ Division headed by Senior Superintendent K. Adonis and ‘G’ Division headed by Superintendent K. Pareshram.
Two months ago, Commissioner of Police Leslie James promised that the police force will see major improvement, which included an aviation unit, enhanced maritime department, training and the rehabilitation of several police stations countrywide.
According to the Top Cop, “The Guyana Police Force is at a very important juncture, where we are in a deliberate way forging out a plan…from recommendations, and by March 2019, you will see a much reformed police force.”
“You are likely to see a number of police stations remodeled and re-commissioned. For example, the one at Mackenzie, Linden, was commissioned two weeks ago, and a second one at Region Two, Aurora.
“Sixteen others will be commissioned shortly, and will be outfitted with modern-type units, such as one-way mirrors (for) forensic-type interviews, that will enable a better interaction with the citizens of the communities and will bolster our efforts to give better service.”
James had said that two “immediate constraints” that he encountered on being appointed to the helm of the Force were the inability of ranks to patrol the various divisions and the response time to reports. He said that part of the reform will see better mobile and foot patrols and improved response time.
The Force’s training institutions are also targeted for much needed reform, the Public Relations arm will be upgraded, and the traffic advisory and other boards are being re-established, said James.
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