Money on security

Oct 20, 2021 Editorial

Kaieteur News – According to the figures released in the Mid-year Report, and as it refers to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the sum of GY$16.1B was spent on security for the first half of 2021. We must admit that it is an impressive amount and once properly allocated and spent, there should be results to show for that kind of money. To put it differently, once this type of money is used in the best way possible, then citizens are sure to reap the security rewards and sense the difference.
Security is a priority for all citizens, which both leaders of the PPP Government and those in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) know all too well. Too many communities feel underserved. Too many business people sense their vulnerabilities, and too many people from all over Guyana rank security as a major concern. Perhaps, it would be better if we had presented that as too many Guyanese are sickened by chronic insecurity over crime, and the violence that comes with it today, now almost without letup.
The GPF reported that at midyear, 21 motorcycles were obtained. We say that getting one new is better than where we were before, so with 21 of these machines, a little dent can be made in responding to and addressing developing crime situations. The GPF noted that crime is down 22.7% across the country during the first half of this year, when compared to the same period in 2020. There are two things we take pains to point out. First, according to Acting Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie, that is not just ordinary crime, but “serious” crime, which should mean a lot. Yet, we regret having to share that as much as serious crime may be down 1 in 4 on a relative basis, for some strange reason, citizens do not feel safer, they are not comforted. After all, cold statistics are one thing, while living in the trenches of Guyana daily is another: perception and reality always ace statistics.
Also, the second point of note, and this worries us more, is that on each occasion that the statistics concerning “serious crime” for the first six months of this year is heard, there is the sense that it is different. It could be that some definitions inside the GPF are being kneaded and adjusted, which does not make the problem of serious crime melt away. In fact, they only intensify the agitations of citizens. It seems that every time there is crime, a gun is involved, and such crimes are happening almost daily, and not as single ‘one-off’ instances. The people in charge of the GPF know what we are speaking of, have more than a strong awareness of the anxieties of various communities and the general population, and of the dread which our men, women, and children live with daily.
It could be argued that less of the GPF’s budget should be spent on public relations, and more on security, which will ensure that Guyanese get a bigger deal from each dollar. Part of such is rapid mobility, which led to the acquisition of 50 new 4×4 vehicles, and could mean much improvement for difficult interior communities. It would be good to report a year from today that those 50 new machines are all in good condition. Further, tens of millions were spent on the training of over 1000 ranks, with another 1600 being readied for both local and overseas training. Just as in the case of those new vehicles, once the training is used to benefit the people paying for it, there will be noticeable improvement. At this juncture, we must point to something that is conspicuously missing in the midyear report pertaining to the GPF.
There is positive talk of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, statistics, and training, but there is no mention of new recruits. As we all know, the GPF could use some additional personnel on the streets and almost everywhere else. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is keenly in need of new blood, with much monies spent on that, more numbers of such. Remember: money is related to security, extremely so, in the quality gathered from the spending opportunities.

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