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Qualified persons needed before police aviation unit is established
Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, said that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will get its promised aviation unit, but could not commit to it being established in 2019.
Ramjattan disclosed that work will start on the unit next year.
“We will have to start getting very qualified people to look after airplane maintenance, pilots and so on. It’s an ongoing process, but we are going to get there. I cannot say we will get there in 2019, but certainly work will start,” Ramjattan disclosed.
The aviation unit is listed as one of the key components for the GPF’s modernization plans.
Earlier this year, two United Kingdom (UK) experts undertook a full review of Guyana’s aviation crime fighting capabilities.
Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan
The two men were experts attached to AECOM UK, a global network of experts working with clients, communities to develop and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most complex challenges.
The review did not cover the entire aviation sector, but was curtailed to security capabilities in keeping with the remit of Lt. Col (Ret’d) Russell Combe who is the UK-funded security sector advisor to President, David Granger.
The outcome of the review is expected to help determine what improvements may be required.
Lt. Combe, whose office was housed at the Ministry of the Presidency during his one-year tenure in Guyana, presented a final report of the security sector reform project to President Granger at State House in January.
The UK security expert has received a commitment from the President that he will get a further contract extension through to 2019 to help implement the recommendations contained in the report.
Lt. Combe described the report as a dynamic document that places emphasis on the Guyana Police Force and 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.
There were previous attempts made to train ranks to become aircraft pilots but those plans shelved under the People’s Progressive Party administration, but no funds were ever allocated for the programme.
Applications were received from a number of ranks and interviews were conducted. In the end, 15 officers were selected and were ready to be trained.
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