DPP on warpath against drug abuse, illicit sex in Rupununi

Mar 18, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, has implored residents particularly teenagers of the North Rupununi Region Nine, to say “no” to illicit drugs, consumption of alcohol and early teenage sexual relations.

DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC was accompanied by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn and officers during the outreach.

The DPP made this charge during a Community Outreach to the region’s northern communities of Annai Central, The Bina Hill Institute at Kwatamang , Aranaputa and Karasabai over the past weekend. The DPP’s charge to the secondary school students in particular, came against the background of an increased number of police files for sexual offences and the use of illicit drugs received at the DPP’s Chambers for legal advice over the past three years.
Mrs. Ali-Hack, accompanied by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, attended the meetings along with a team from his Ministry including Mr. Daniel Griffith of the Traffic in Persons (TIPS) Committee. During their several community meetings, the DPP and Minister Benn addressed students and residents on a range of criminal offences from the more serious criminal indictable offences of murders and rapes to causing death by dangerous driving, trafficking in persons, the use of marijuana, simple larceny, break and enter and larceny and other social ills affecting the northern communities.
Both the DPP and Minister Benn implored the students to focus on their own personal development through their education and to “aim for the top.”
“Take up your education and aim at qualifying yourselves to specialize in whatever profession you chose. Take advantage of the opportunities available. Do everything within your power to prevent a police file from reaching the desk of the DPP, who has the difficult task of deciding whether to charge or not to charge,” Minister Benn added.
Minister Benn encouraged the students to get involved in sporting activities and promised to advocate for sports gears and equipment on their behalf from the subject ministry. Mrs. Ali-Hack advocated for the reactivation of Toshaos to be trained to deal with the simple offences such as larceny and disorderly behaviour at the Village Council level.
She reiterated that while the Toshaos have limited powers to deal with the lesser serious criminal offences, the more serious crimes must be dealt with by the police. “We give them the training to deal with such matters and then the offenders are to be counselled. And for the more serious offences like the murders, manslaughters, rapes, and assaults, will be dealt with by the police.”
She explained that such a system will help to ease the congestion within the criminal justice system.
DPP Ali-Hack admonished the residents to make good use of their lands, “You don’t have the types of jobs we have in Georgetown, so you should have more activities like farming so as to occupy your time and not get into community criminal offences. Take the available fruits, make jams, jellies, and fruit juices, take the produce to Lethem to be marketed, work with the Regional Chairman and New Guyana Marketing Corporation to market your products.
Meanwhile Mr. Griffith and his TIPS team engaged the residents briefly on the “signs and red flags” of human trafficking. Residents were urged to make use of the resources to develop themselves by utilizing the resources for economic gains.
Regional Chairman Mr. Brian Allicock and Police Commander Raphael Rose who attended the community meetings encouraged the residents to form and maintain good police community relations with the police ranks stationed at all the various police stations in the Region.