2019-2020 TIP Action Plan seeks to increase convictions-charges ratio by 50%

Aug 11, 2019 News

The Ministerial Task Force of Trafficking in Person (TIP) along with the Guyana Police Force Trafficking in Persons Unit, Major Crimes Investigations Unit, and many other entities are seeking to increase the convictions-charges ratio by 50 percent in an attempt to conquer the plight of TIP.
This is according to the National Plan of Action for the prevention and response to TIP for 2019-2020.
The plan highlighted that during this one-year period the entities would like to increase the arrest, charges and convictions of alleged TIP offenders by 50 percent, also adding to the conviction-charge ratio.
According to the plan, data will be sourced from the Ministry of Public Security Crime Observatory, the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Prosecution and Legal Affairs Sub-Committee so as to effectively carry out their investigations.
Implementation and funding of this initiative will be done by the GPF as indicated by the Plan of Action.
In 2017 and 2018, the Guyana Police Force Trafficking in Persons Unit and Major Crimes Investigations Unit, along with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Police Legal Advisor worked together assiduously to achieve successful investigations and prosecutions of TIP cases.
Additionally, given the linkage between efforts to investigate and prosecute the crime of TIP and the framework of victim protection, another key partnership was the collaboration between the Guyana Police Force Trafficking in Persons Unit and the Ministry of Social Protection Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit.
Successful investigations and prosecutions provide a strong deterrent to potential perpetrators and thus can also be seen as part of the effort to prevent the crime.
During the 2017-2018 period Police Investigators, Prosecutors and Immigration Officers all underwent extensive training during the period which has led to improved case building and presentation.
Training has also been provided for Interpreters, whose importance has been amplified by the increase of cases involving foreign nationals and the need to communicate effectively with these individuals throughout all phases of the investigative and prosecutorial processes.
However, room for improvement remains and the Task Force along with other stakeholders during the 2019-2020 period will look to further increase the capacity of law enforcement, its legal counterparts, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Plan of Action also seeks to foster better collaboration with the Judiciary and increasing the focus on proactive approaches to combating TIP.

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