President Donald Ramotar yesterday called on the police to crack down on the many drug houses that are turning youths into addicts and leading subsequently to an increase in drug-related crimes.
“We have to root out many of the little drug houses. While we go against the big ones we must also go against the small ones as well…,” he told those in attendance at the opening of the Police Officers’ Annual Conference. The conference which ends tomorrow is being held at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary and comes amid major planned reforms announced on December 31, 2012 by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Ramotar’s call mirrors one that had been made in 2010 by former President Bharrat Jagdeo at the police conference that year. Critics had said that the major focus by the police should not be on drug houses but the drug pipeline into the country and the drug lords. The fact that a similar call has been made three years later by President Ramotar suggests that the police had not delivered on Jagdeo’s appeal.
While delivering the feature address, Ramotar called for a re-evaluation of the relationship between the police and the community. He said that to build public confidence, the police have to be more prompt in reacting to the calls of the community.
He recalled a recent visit to Rose Hall where residents informed him about the “many, many drug houses” in the area. “If everybody knows about them, the police must also know about them… Why are they not raiding them to get rid of them?” he stressed.
He pointed out that when the police do not go after them, it gives the impression that the dealers have some sort of relationship with the police. “We must go against all levels of these people and that I can assure you, I am confident that that will help to build confidence within the communities as well,” he said.
He said the ministry is currently taking steps to improve confidentiality so that persons giving information can feel secure.
Ramotar told those gathered that the annual conference allows the members of the force to review the work done and “to look ahead to the future to chart a course to moving our society forward by improving the security situation.” Ramotar stressed that the work of the Police Force is of vital importance to the social and economic development of our country.
He said social and economic progress can be accelerated with improved security of citizens. “Our people depend heavily on the Guyana Police Force to provide that security so that they can work steadily and develop in a secure atmosphere,” he said.
Ramotar stated that while in attendance at the Caricom Heads of Government meeting, which concluded several weeks ago, the whole focus was on the security situation and crime in the region. He said that based on the figures presented for 2006 to 2011 there were 14,401 homicides reported and 20,326 illegal firearms seized. He said it was also pointed out that some 34,507 kilogrammes of cocaine were seized during the same period and 350 gangs with a total membership of several thousand, dismantled.
According to the president from these figures one can understand the importance of crime and security in the region.
Ramotar said that when one takes into account that we are not producers of cocaine or manufacturers of weapons “then it is very, very clear that we have to take into account the external factors that affect our crime situation here.” He noted that clearly the drug trade has had an impact on every aspect of crime in the region in addition to the weapons’ trade.
The president used the opportunity to congratulate the officers for the seizure of weapons. “I hope that we can intensify this to take more if not all of the illegal weapons off our roads,” he said.
Acknowledging the need for change, he said that in order to have a modern police force, training needs to be looked it. The force also has to use more “complicated tools” and science and technology in the fight against crime. While noting that science and technology have “given [the police] some advantage to use in fighting crime, he pointed out that they are not confined only to the security forces, criminals also use them.”
“It calls for us to improve also on the education level, the skills level in the police force,” he stressed while adding that the government has recognised this and as such is putting “more and more” resources into training, especially overseas training of officers.
He called on officers to look towards university education, particularly courses which may have relevance to police work for example in the fields of science and management.
Government, he said, is also trying to enhance the ability of the force to increase its conviction rates through the use of strong, scientific evidence in court. This, he said, will require money and that is why so much money has been invested in building a lab which will help with the issue of unsolved crime. The President pointed to the unsolved Sheema Mangar case.
Ramotar said he knew the Minister of Home Affairs has recognised the work needed to carry out the necessary reforms.
He urged the police to work along with the media, which he said at times are “very cruel, very unkind and very unfair”, but noted the importance of the media in society and in the fight against crime.
He appealed to those involved in the “political life in our country” to join the crime fight. He said we must never feel we have any advantage by using crime or criminal elements in political activities. “We must discourage it,” he expounded, and said the unrest in Agricola was an example.
In relation to the Linden Commission of Inquiry, he noted that many recommendations were made and he has since told the Minister of Home Affairs that they should be examined along with the recommendations of other commissions that have been established with a view to implementation.
He called on the opposition to cooperate in Parliament in relation to important legislation especially those concerning the capacity of the police force.
Ramotar urged the ranks to be professional and to work to improve the security of every citizen.
