Police to get quick response marine unit

Mar 08, 2024 News

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– as Pres. Ali urges greater professionalism among ranks

Kaieteur News – Very shortly, a quick response marine arm of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will be activated as the government has invested in the procurement of patrol boats that will be based along the coastline.

This is according to President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali in his address at the opening of the Annual Police Officers’ Conference on Thursday. The president mentioned that two patrol boats have already arrived in the country, while two more are expected to arrive soon. This investment is aimed at matching assets with the landscape to provide a more effective policing system. “We have all the rivers. We’re known as the land of many waters. We’re known for expansive rivers that cover our coastland but we never utilised this asset to support policing,” the head of state articulated.

According to President Ali, this initiative will drastically improve the police response time, especially in emergencies that have occurred in highly congested areas along the coast. “If you have to go through the traffic from Stabroek to Diamond, the marine response will be half the time or less the time to establish a presence anywhere on the coast,” he explained. Moreover, the government is investing in agile units that are equipped with quick-response assets to further improve the response time.  Additionally, these outposts will be technologically fitted. “That is what is happening now, we’re building out these smaller but more agile units to respond faster, to integrate greater and to build relationship within the community,” the president affirmed. The head of state also revealed that a platform is being established to incorporate all stakeholders involved in security to ensure a coordinated effort to maintain law and order and provide a safe environment for citizens. The three-day conference is themed “Transformative Unity: Nurturing Trust, Youth Development, Professionalism & Safety Through Competence & Strategic Partnerships,” and it presents a platform for reflection on the achievements as well as confronting obstacles and charting the path for the future.

Highly professional force

Meanwhile, President underscored the importance of having a highly professional Guyana Police Force (GPF) to safeguard democracy and the principles of natural justice. Noting that the police force must position itself as a safe, welcoming, and trustworthy institution, Ali said: “At the end of the day … what is important is that we build a highly professional police force so that any citizen can go to bed [and] sleep well knowing that there are institutions in our country that will not falter and disappoint the people of this country,” he stressed.

President Ali went on to remind officers of their sacred oath, which is dedicated to the principles of justice while reiterating the need for officers to become strong leaders of democracy. “Not based on influence, but it’s natural. It becomes an inherent character, an inherent character of who you are when you put on this uniform and people look at you, they must see someone who will not hide when the country needs them to defend democracy, defend the rule of law and uphold your constitutional requirement,” the president expressed, highlighting that law enforcement personnel hold a critical balance in society. The president also spoke on several crucial matters, including the role of technology, which is important to addressing modern policing challenges that come with the exponential transformation currently unfolding in several sectors. President Ali also recognised the outstanding performance of the police force in the past year, pointing to the expansion of its human resource capacity.

Along this vein, he voiced confidence that in the next five years, there will be a highly trained, competent and qualified police force. Another crucial achievement highlighted was the expansion of partnership between the police force and its regional and international partners. According to President Ali, that relationship has expanded greatly. He, therefore, advised that the international accreditation of the Police Force Academy is in its final stages as a testimony to the expanded relationship. “This is one of the things we wanted to achieve, build infrastructure here, build systems here that are of international standards because we believe this is how we can share our prosperity with the region,” he asserted.

He added that Guyana has advanced partnerships with the United States, United Kingdom, and India and it is now up to the police to further develop those partnerships. While significant achievements were made in every area, President Ali noted the pertinent issue of road fatalities, which he said requires stakeholders to work collectively and comprehensively to find innovative solutions.  “It is unfortunate that you have to find innovative ways of enforcement, when it is within the power of all of us, within the power of every driver, every road user, to act and behave in a manner that is befitting of what is expected of them on the roadways,” he lamented noting that this issue is compounded with the rapid development occurring.

“All of these are matters that we are not unaware of, but matters that compound the situation because we have to find the balance and you can’t slow things down. You can slow the speed but not the development; [it] is integral,” he added.

Evolving challenges

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police (Ag) Clifton Hicken has charged senior police officers to remain vigilant, adaptable and proactive to tackle evolving policing challenges. The Top Cop was delivering remarks at the conference when he made this remark. Hicken highlighted the accomplishments achieved which were a collective effort, and the fact that the Police’s 2022-2026 Strategic Management Plan has created a roadmap for progress towards innovation, collaboration, and excellence. “Through our collective efforts, we have these tangible outcomes that have strengthened our organisation and enhanced our ability to serve and protect the communities. Together we gained remarkable success,” the top cop expressed.

The commissioner also highlighted the achievements gained so far including equipping all police regional divisions with a district intelligence committee, that guides intelligence lead operations, implements predictive analytics for traffic patterns and the decentralisation of services among others. However, he was keen to note that these challenges preventing safer communities must never be underrated. “With all of this, let us not underestimate the challenges we face, the complex issues ranging from the persistent threat of drug trafficking to increasing prevalence of cybercrime and digital security threat amidst our resources constraint,” the Commissioner underlined. The force is also challenged with the low recruitment of new ranks and retention rates. (DPI)

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• address, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, marine unit, police, President Irfaan Ali

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