The Joint Services yesterday conducted a Contingency Plan Activation exercise in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, which was aimed at testing the unit’s ability to respond to crisis situations within the prison system.
According to a Joint Services release, as part of the Exercise Home Guard, conducted by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Joint Services simultaneously carried out the Prison Contingency Plan Activation Rehearsal Exercise at the Georgetown and New Amsterdam prisons yesterday at 10 am.
The GDF, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Prison Service and Guyana Fire Service were involved in the exercise.
Several roadblocks were set-up around the confines of the Camp Street prisons, as police ranks diverted traffic from the area. Several truck loads of soldiers then arrived on the scene around 11 am to assist the officers at the roadblocks as fire officers were on standby.
According to an official on the scene, the exercise was “nothing spectacular” and he noted that it was successfully coordinated between the various services.
This newspaper understands that the exercise was based on the Joint Services response to prison disturbances such as riots and jailbreaks, with emphasis placed on tracking down prison escapees.
The Joint Services noted that the exercise confirmed that the unit’s response system for crises in the prison was fully functional.
