Latest update April 6th, 2025 11:06 AM
Latest News
- High Court bars GRA from seizing Team Mohamed’s luxury vehicles
- Oil spill will hit Guyana’s shores before capping stack arrives to plug leak
- UN says 100 children killed or injured in Gaza every day since war resumed
- Guyana received US$605M oil money in first quarter of 2025
- ‘Tariff war’ spells grave danger for the Region – CARICOM Chair Mottley
1600 cops trained to deal with domestic violence matters
Kaieteur News
By Shervin Belgrave
A group of ranks posing in front of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) training centre (Photo Credit: GPF)
Minister of Human Services and Social Protection, Dr. Vindhya Persaud on Thursday said that, to date, 1600 policemen have been trained to deal with domestic violence cases under the COPSQUAD 2000 initiative.
In August 2021, Dr. Persaud launched the COPSQUAD 2000 initiative, a programme with the objective to equip 2000 police ranks with the requisite knowledge and skills to investigate DV matters and properly protect the victims.
During an interview with an online programme called the Guyana Dialogue, Dr. Persaud related that 1600 policemen have already completed the needed training.
“So an initiative was launched also last year, the COPSQUAD initiative, this one I conceptualised looking at 2000 policemen so it’s called COPSQUAD 2000 initiative, training 2000 policemen in the force and we have completed training 2000 of those (policemen),” Persaud said.
She noted that one of the “biggest bugbears” that country has in fighting domestic violence, child abuse and abuse of the elderly has always been “the police and how they deal with people.”
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud
Kaieteur News too, for many years, had received reports of domestic violence victims complaining of unprofessional and insensitive conduct of some police ranks while taking their reports. Among the allegations are instances where abused men were mocked, and instead of rescuing battered women, some would be sent back to their homes where the abuser can attack again.
The training received by the 1600 policemen, according to Persaud, is for them to deal in a professional way with those who make reports, to write good case reports and to have insight and full knowledge of the legislation dealing with domestic violence matters.
Persaud added that ranks must be able to exercise the best practice when dealing with any case of domestic violence.
In order to ensure that ranks are adhering to the best practices and for the force to better its response to such cases, Dr. Persaud pointed out that public feedback on their experiences at police stations is necessary.
Once the feedback is available, the ministry will be able to conduct analysis for guidance in determining the best way forward for a more comprehensive response to domestic violence matters.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
This must not be our hour of humiliation
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- There are moments in the history of nations when fate lays before them a choice not of... more
The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United... more
Weekend Cartoon
