In order to deliver improved safety and security systems to citizens, the Government has allocated $58.6 billion towards public safety and security in the 2023 budget.
This announcement was made by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh during his 2023 national budget presentation at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre yesterday.
Singh told the National Assembly, that a sum of $2.4 billion would be allocated to upgrade police stations and facilities across the country including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters and Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Headquarters.
Work will also commence on the reconstruction of the Brickdam Police Station which was gutted by fire in October 2021.
In his presentation, Singh noted that $2 billion has been set aside to expand the Safe Country Initiative in Regions 3 and 6 and another $2.1 billion has been allocated to develop an electronic identification (eID) system to introduce a single electronic identifier. “By which each citizen is assigned a unique national registration number to be used by all public and private sector agencies,” Singh said.
Noting that a “mobile, quick response” police service is key to averting criminal activity and in the speedy detection and apprehension of criminals, Singh said a further $500 million would be spent to expand the force’s transportation fleet.
Additionally, he said $140 million will be assigned towards improving the force’s investigative and forensic capabilities for a further 3,000 security personnel. “Mr. Speaker, good policing coupled with professional, well-trained officers is critical to promoting order, safety, and a welcoming environment,” Singh told the House.
And, another $110 million will be allocated to support community policing groups.
As it relates to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), Singh said out of the $5.5 billion allocated, $2.2 billion will be spent on advanced facilities being constructed at Mazaruni and Lusignan.
Works will also commence on the reconstruction of the New Amsterdam Prison.
To ensure prisoners acquire life skills so that they can re-integrate into society and prevent recidivism, Singh said $50 million has been allocated to equip trade shops at the prison locations to facilitate training and trade activities.
And, a further $100 million, Singh said will be expended to train 1,500 inmates. This will support their rehabilitation and social transformation in preparation for their exit from the prison system.
“Government will also ensure that the Prison Service is staffed with qualified and competent officers, with the necessary skillset to allow them to effectively navigate this complex environment. To this end, we will invest in prison management training for over 400 prison personnel this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), Singh told the House that the Government is proposing to spend $545 million to advance a number of initiatives as it relates to boosting firefighting activity.
They would include works that are already ongoing at the new Fire Service Headquarters at D’Urban Park and construction of fire stations at Leonora, Wales and Ogle.
Water bowsers and tenders, water reservoirs, ambulances and a fully equipped firefighting boat will also be procured with an allocated $489 million while a further $20 million will be spent to train fire officers so that they can improve their performance and enhance safety at incident sites.
