https://guyana.crowdstack.io/topic/af...dget-presented-today
Reducing Crime, Rebuilding Public Trust, Reforming Public Security Systems
4.86 Mr. Speaker, the crime situation is the most pressing and most depressing problem facing our nation today. The last PPP/C administration failed to arrest banditry, piracy and criminal violence, among other crimes. It is our firm belief that we need radical action to reform our criminal justice system. We need a police force that is more accountable to the public and better able to deal with crime and anti-social behaviour that is anathema to the good life. The Government is fine-tuning a comprehensive Public Security Plan, in which emphasis is to be placed on combating crime; regaining trust of the police force; improving police investigative capabilities by rebuilding an efficient and effective criminal intelligence system and the Criminal Investigation Department; improving recruitment standards and training by revitalizing the Cadetship Scheme; counteracting human, drugs and arms trafficking; and acquiring vehicles and equipment for modern policing to fight banditry, piracy, terrorism and other violent crimes. Further, we will: (i) implement the recommendations of the Disciplined Forces Commission; and (ii) seek help from friendly nations and international crime fighting agencies.
4.87 Mr. Speaker, under the Citizens Security Programme the Government will commence the implementation of several activities to support the security sector. One key aspect of this programme involves implementing evidence-based interventions associated with interpersonal violence, such as parenting, gender values and norms and conflict resolution. Training of selected community members to support economic inclusion, through vocational and remedial training; literacy programmes; job readiness; job seeking and job placement actions; entrepreneurship; mentoring; counselling and psychological skills training will aid communities in identifying community problems and developing bottom-up solutions to crime and violence. Support will also target strengthening the Guyana Police Force’s Crime Prevention and Investigative capabilities through forensic and criminal investigative techniques and training and through the application of information technology methodologies in crime detection and inter-agency co-ordination.
4.88 Mr. Speaker, in 2015, the Government will establish a command centre to enhance crime response capabilities. Other interventions include resuscitation of CCTV feeds within the Georgetown to Timehri environs and improvement in 911 services countrywide. The Government has allocated $21 billion to strengthen and improve our national security services. Of that amount, a sum of $11.9 billion will support the operations of the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Prison Service, Guyana Fire Service, Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), while $9.1 billion has been budgeted for the Guyana Defence Force. These allocations will be used to improve the physical infrastructure, upgrade the security fleet, acquire tools and equipment, and upgrade the security features of the machine readable passports. With respect to the decentralization of the application and issuance of passports, a sum of $9.7 million has been budgeted for the acquisition of specialised equipment for the production of machine readable passports.
