Government is proposing to spend a total of $22.2 billion this year on public safety and security, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh announced yesterday.
Of the total, Singh told the National Assembly yesterday that $15.3 billion would be allocated to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), $5 billion to the Guyana Prison Service and $1.9 billion to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
During his 2021 national budget presentation, Singh said as part of the expenditure for the GPF over $830 million would be allocated for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of police stations, including Providence, Ruimveldt, Cove and John, Albion, Whim, Parika and Wismar.
He said, too, that plans are in the pipeline to improve the investigative and forensic capabilities of the police by conducting training in 20 courses for 828 ranks along with ongoing overseas training.
Singh said $300 million will be spent on expanding its land and water fleet across the country to complement what already exists.
Singh also said funds will also be assigned to resuscitate the community policing programme, which he claimed was dismantled over the past five years. According to him, the Community Policing Groups (CPGs) have been found to be “very effective in complementing to the work of the GPF. As a result, Singh said that an amount of $95 million has been earmarked to help these groups in order to strengthen neighbourhood patrols and their visibility.
On the GFS, Singh said that major interventions will include relocation of the Central Fire Station from the congested Stabroek Market area and the construction of a new fire station at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.
Additionally, he said six water tenders and two ambulances will be procured.
This year, the infrastructure of the GPS is also expected to see major upgrades.
According to Singh, work will commence this year on constructing “three blocks” at the Lusignan Prison to accommodate 600 inmates.
He said construction of the Mazaruni prison, which will accommodate 220 high profile inmates, is also expected to be completed this year.
Singh told the National Assembly that a sum of $50 million will be spent on the training of inmates in areas such as anger management, literacy, agriculture and culinary arts.
He noted that thirty incarcerated youths will benefit from digital skills training to support rehabilitation and social transformation upon their exit from prison system.
