Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said yesterday that community policing groups (CPGs) are not be expected to get into physical confrontations with criminals but to assist in maintaining the peace in communities and with getting information that law enforcement agencies could use.
Speaking with the media in the presence of representatives of a number of CPGs at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Rohee said the CPGs were not trained and equipped to deal with criminal elements of the type engaged in the recent massacres at Lusignan and Bartica.
At present, he said, the government was satisfied that it was getting value for its money with the activities of the CPGs based on the monthly analysis of activities of these groups. These include foot, bicycle, motorcycle, vehicular patrols. There are also boat patrols in riverain areas. However, he added that there is always room for improvement as there never is a perfect situation.
Asked whether there were CPGs at Lusignan and Bartica where the recent murderous attacks by gunmen were made and at Buxton and Agricola, and what the responses were like, Rohee said that there were no such groups at Buxton or Agricola, but there was one at Lusignan and nine groups with a membership of 96 at Bartica. However, the group at Lusignan, through registered is dormant.
Asked if there was an active group what would have been its role during the attack at Lusignan, he said it might have received information through networking and probably if its members had weapons they might have done something.
In relation to the night of the attack at Bartica, Rohee said that the CPG members were doing station duty. However, the course of duty was completed shortly before the attack on the police station at Bartica. “One could say fortunately or unfortunately,” their duty had ended at the time, he said.
Bartica, he said, had submitted a list of names of persons to be sworn in as rural constables but this was not done. The group had also bought two firearms, with its own funds but these were lodged at the police station, which came under attack.
He could not say whether the firearms were part of the arsenal that was stolen or whether they are with the remainder of the stocks that are now at Eve Leary.
“We are now trying to establish that,” he said.
Among the lessons learnt from Lusignan and Bartica, he said was that there was need for active rural constables in the communities; that training in the use of firearms was essential; that the firearms must be made available to groups.
Based on the Lusignan experience, he said the government allocated $50 million to improve the workings of groups that have been established with necessities to function effectively.
He said there had been groups at Buxton and Agricola but they no longer existed. He gave no reason why this was so.
He urged members of the public to join CPGs and to establish groups where there are none to help protect their communities and assist the police in the fight against crime. Rohee referred to the constitution stating that security was the duty of the state, the society, and every citizen.
Rohee made the calls ahead of the 32nd anniversary of community policing in the country, which will be observed on March 18, and for which several activities have been planned. At present there are 214 active community policing groups with over 4,047 members operating in six police divisions who are receiving support from the government in the form of resources such as vehicles, boats, motor cycles and other items.
The CPGs continue to play a significant supportive role to the police force, Rohee said, through bodies such as Divisional Community Policing Executives and National Community Policing Executives. They also assist in enhancing police-community relations.
