The conference, which was aimed at crime prevention, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs was the first of its kind and its goal was to create safer communities by equipping stakeholders with the knowledge, skills and institutional prevention platform to adequately address the problems of crime and violence in the country.
Liliendaal Declaration
At the end of the conference, which was held at the conference centre at Liliendaal, the participants also came up with what the ministry titled the ‘The Liliendaal Declaration on Crime Prevention.’ It is comprised of 27 committals made by the participants, including an undertaking to analyse public security problems from a comprehensive point of view, taking into account emerging threats, and to promote management instruments that facilitate and, where necessary, improve the effectiveness of public security policies. They also committed to strengthen and, where appropriate, establish policies and programmes for modernisation of the prison systems, and for design of sustainable social integration models, especially for youths.
They pledged to promote the modernisation of police management by incorporation transparency and accountability, enhance the professionalization of security forces, and improve the living and working conditions of their members. They would also encourage and strengthen citizen community participation in the implementation of public security plans and programmes and to promote the concept of community policing groups and enhance and strengthen those groups throughout the country and assist in the protection of their communities.
Further, the participants pledged that they would consider cooperation initiatives to increase knowledge of the different facets and impact of crime, in order to strengthen public security police structures and also to recognise the role of mutual legal assistance and extradition in response to the commission, execution, planning, preparation, or financing of terrorist acts and organised crime, in accordance with Guyana’s domestic law and established international conventions.
They also requested that the home minister convene future meetings on crime prevention, public safety and security.
