Little is known about the current state of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, including whether members of the unit are getting the continuous and specialised training needed in order to be effective.
Last year, large sums of money were spent on training the 27 members of the unit but to date there had been no word on any follow-up training. In addition, its current make-up, base of operations and whether it is adequately resourced are also unknown.
Stabroek News recently attempted to get information about the current state of the unit but was told by a senior police officer that what was being requested was highly sensitive information. The officer questioned whether such information ought to be made public.
SWAT is a specialised set of police officers trained to handle situations too dangerous for normal police officers, such as hostage situations and standoffs with suspects.
Government announced the unit in October of 2013, at a time when the country was experiencing rampant serious crime that included the use of high-powered weaponry. It was felt that with such a unit in place, the police would be better positioned to make specialised interventions, thereby ensuring law and order is maintained.
The announcement attracted criticism, with the common view being that the country has not reached a stage where a SWAT unit is needed. Some, however, welcomed the idea.
Opposition leader and former national security adviser David Granger as well as APNU parliamentarian and former police commissioner Winston Felix did not favour the initiative.
Granger said none of the country’s major security threats demanded a response by SWAT units. “I think a SWAT unit could be more effectively deployed when there is extensive gang warfare or a counter insurgency situation where there might be large gangs in particular areas of operation, holding people hostage,” he pointed out, while noting that such situations are relatively rare in Guyana. He also said the experience with “special units” here has been very painful and he felt great care must be exercised in their creation because of the tendency for political interference and for the police administration to send low performing policemen to such units.
Felix saw the announcement as an attempt by government to look good in its response to the crime situation. He said a SWAT unit would be a good idea once the circumstances in the country justify its formation but he did not feel that Guyana had such circumstances.
Despite the criticism, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee maintained that the unit would not be used as a “political tool” for the administration’s gains and he said it would increase security for citizens.
The Ministry of Home Affairs signed a contract with The Emergence Group (TEG) from the United States to the tune of US$796,987 to establish the unit in the Guyana Police Force. Thirty-seven members of the force were chosen to undergo training but 10 dropped out. The remaining 27 completed training in March last year under the supervision of TEG. A second training session was expected to be done in August of last year but this newspaper was unable to ascertain if it has indeed been conducted.
Continuous training?
Meanwhile, a security source questioned whether the members of the unit are undergoing continuous training. He noted that from all indications the team is based at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) at Eve Leary but he opined that the training necessary could not be conducted there.
“They need specialised training and as such they need to be away from people. They need to be somewhere where they can do continuous training, in-cluding learning to shoot accurately, which is the hallmark of SWAT,” the source said.
“Why would they want to have them around town? They need to be somewhere where they can do continuous training…. they have to get continuous practice and they can’t do that in town,” the source said, before adding that members of a SWAT unit have to be marksmen, which will take time.
Earlier this year, acting Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud was quoted in the press as saying the unit will remain in training and trained ranks will at all times replace those who have left.
He noted that since the introduction of the unit, there has been no need for it. He also said members of the unit will not be allowed to work with the regular uniformed police, while emphasising that the team was highly trained for special and high-profile matters.
However, the source said even from Eve Leary there is no sign of the ranks undergoing any aspect of the SWAT training they required. Based on what he has gathered, the publicised training has been completed and the unit is supposed to be operational.
“If they just sit down there, they will get rusty. So they ought to be continuously training,” the source said, while opining that such a unit must have its own facilities and its own building.
Recalling the Middle Street standoff in 2013, where an armed civilian engaged in a shootout with lawmen, leaving five dead including two policemen and the shooter, the source said it would have been an ideal situation for a SWAT unit. He, however, questioned whether any of the members are marksmen, while noting that they may have to take down a gunman hiding in a building or in an area where others may be at risk.
According to the source, the formation of a well-trained SWAT unit is not an overnight operation and in order for it to be effective every effort has to be made to ensure the members are exposed to all levels of training.
The source said some of the questions which ought to be answered are whether the unit is up to full strength and has its own vehicles in the event it has to respond to a situation that requires its expertise. The source said it is even unknown how many teams will make up the unit and whether all of them will be based at one location.
