Violent crime is a solvable problem

Jul 28, 2019 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

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(An address by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan at the Launch of the new Police Records Management Information System (PRMIS)
Violent crime is a solvable problem. We may never get to the homicide statistics down to resemble Singapore, Kuwait or Iceland where it is below 1 per 100,000 persons per year.
Author Steven Pinker in his book “Enlightenment Now – the Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress’ says: “What has to be done is that, we have to stay close to the symptoms – the neighbourhoods and individuals responsible for the biggest wedges of violence – and chip away at the incentives and opportunities that drive them. And it begins with law enforcement”.
He added: “An aggressive posture must be adopted to deter all the violent gangs and individuals, otherwise people will break the law with impunity. A most effective tactic is focused deterrence. A laser like focus must be directed on these neighbourhoods and hotspots identified by data gathered in real time”.
Here is where CariSECURE assumes such great importance. (The goal of the CariSECURE project is to improve youth crime and violence policy-making and programming in the Southern and Eastern Caribbean through the use of quality, comparable and reliable national citizen security information.)
Attention must be paid too, to troublemakers who are impulsive, who jump on opportunities to steal and vandalize and viciously attack the people who cross them, heedless of the long term consequences. This machismo, especially displayed by our young males, can be reduced or neutered through anger management, social skills training, and counseling in At-Risk youth programs.
Just recently the Ministry of Public Security graduated 50 young people at this Guyana Police Officers’ Training Centre, who successfully completed this kind of training under the Citizens Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP).
Focus must also be directed on potential miscreants, keep them out of trouble by removing the environment which facilitates these opportunities. Pinker in ‘Enlightenment Now’ stated, “When cars are harder to steal, houses are harder to burgle, goods are harder to pilfer, when persons carry more credit cards than cash, and dark alleys are lit and video monitored, would-be criminals do not seek another outlet for their larcenous urges. The temptation passes and a crime is not committed”.
A more difficult challenge to focus on is drug-fueled violence which remains an unresolved international problem. But in all cases, we must take an evidence-based approach. This approach has vastly helped regional and international institutions to fight violent crime, and it is what this new Information System is all about.
With an automated Police Records Management Information System (PRMIS) in place, it would be easier for the police to capture and analyse the reports made by any person to a police station where the system is installed.
EASY IDENTIFICATION
The system permits the tracking of a subject’s address and telephone number, history and any aliases that the subject has been known to use. It can store multiple photographs of the subject referenced by date, as well as references to prior incidents or crimes where applicable.
This system will make it easier to identify persons of interest, and allow the police to easily pull up the names of persons who are known to be Child Molesters, Sex Offenders, Deportees, Murderers, Witnesses, persons with outstanding warrants, persons with travel restrictions, drug traffickers, gang members, etc.
PRMIS will also capture data on vehicles that have been positively identified as having been used in/by any person of interest related to any type of incident/crime.
PRMIS has the capacity to work in conjunction with other systems throughout the justice system (case management – Police, DPP, Courts, Prison).
The system contains an electronic case file (ECF) module that is capable of capturing, storing, querying and retrieving information from personnel records and other documents, exhibits, events, and photo albums.
With this system in place, the police can enhance their traffic incident database to include the time and location of an incident or accident, weather conditions, and traffic conditions at the time. Additionally, PRMIS could identify an unlimited number of associated persons and vehicles.
PRMIS will be pilot-tested for six months in two districts at the Alberttown and Fort Wellington Police Stations. Following the pilot testing, PRMIS will be installed and available in all station districts throughout Guyana.
COMMITMENT
The success or failure of PRMIS will largely be a function of police service leadership, Officers’ active involvement in the implementation of the system. As such, the GPF has appointed Superintendent Jermain Johnson as the Readiness Manager to carry out the implementation of PRMIS.
In addition, we are going to invest in building the technological capacity of our policemen and women to maintain both the hardware and software. We will undertake continuous training for the police service members and others in the security sector and justice system.
Ultimately, we hope to be able to improve resource sharing with organisations such as CARICOM, in order to keep all of our IT systems and networks functioning properly and up to date.

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