Police will now be able to reduce fraud and tampering and improve the look of their identification card with the recent acquisition of a Complete Identification Card System.
Former detective sergeant Michael De Souza, now a technical security specialist at the World Bank yesterday formally handed over the system which cost some US$9,000, to the force.
The system, which can produce an ID card in just a few minutes, De Souza said, has a lot of features and it would be virtually impossible even for a technical genius to duplicate a card. He said he was 100% certain of this.
The security expert, who is based in Washington DC, recalled that some time in April he was approached by Police Commissioner Henry Greene and Assistant Com-missioner George Vyphuis, who were looking for a way to upgrade the then identification card system. He said that after several discussions, it was decided that a new system should be acquired.
De Souza then approached a Washington DC-based security firm and was able to successfully sell his idea of acquiring the system for the Guyana Police Force.
Fully aware that money would be needed for such a venture, he said, the business community in the Diaspora was approached and three members contributed.
He recalled that, the venture took up a lot of his time and he was in constant contact with Guyana to decide on the type of cards for the system.
“I looked at an ID card from another organisation and the one that you have would be the envy,” he said adding that the system the force now has is an excellent one.
Meanwhile, Greene complimented De Souza for his initiative and all the work he has put into the project.
“You would have been giving back to the system from time to time over the years since you left the force but this is a signal contribution that you have managed to come on board with. I am so happy it is coming at this time when they are a lot of queries about solid identification, about cards,” he said.
Greene stressed that these new cards will be fool proof “because the system is so technical and highly organized…”
He mentioned that at one time, they wanted to discontinue the project but it was De Souza’s positive attitude that kept it on the cards.
Greene said the force never expected a new system, just a new card. “We have a small system which we use for the commissioner’s conference. We were just looking for the paper but then it was recognised by him [De Souza] that the contribution he could make could be far superior to just the paper for the ID card. …He has gone to great lengths to provide us with a highly secure ID card system for which we are very happy” Greene stressed.
The commissioner added that De Souza displays a love for policing and a love for security, which is “something that doesn’t come out of you so easily”.
He also expressed his gratitude to the companies that provided the finances adding, “there are some persons who recognise that the force doesn’t have it all. We need help, we need support.”
The software for the special design of the cards was custom built in the United States.