The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the New York Police Department (NYPD) which will see the sharing of experiences and best practices tailored to the law enforcement needs of this country.
US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot in her remarks said that the MoU solidifies the commitment and bilateral partnership of the US and Guyana to address shared security challenges under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
She also stated that this timely initiative is in support of the GPF’s implementation of its 2022-2026 Strategic Management Plan and will run simultaneously with an ongoing programme aimed at the GPF Training Academy achieving international accreditation. The Ambassador believes this partnership to be “holistic, strategic and beneficial in addressing crime, violence, illicit trafficking, homicide and gender based violence that threaten Guyana’s security”.
Theriot announced plans for the return of the NYPD to Guyana in a few months to commence the training programme as well as for a cohort of GPF officers to travel to New York before the end of the year to participate in a practical study tour of the NYPD’s Training Facility. Theriot expressed gratitude for the support being afforded to the GPF in its efforts to create “a more inclusive criminal justice system”.
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn expressed his appreciation for the programme and highlighted some challenges facing the GPF in tackling rising crime rates as well as the GPF’s need for the application of higher level systems and training to meet such goals. The Minister also expounded on the GPF’s dedication to learning integral lessons from the NYPD, which he deemed a “good bilateral partner”, in addition to the plans for renaming the “Guyana Police Force” to the “Guyana Police Service” and a host of upcoming trainings to address new empathetic cultures of policing.
According to a release from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Benn said that the “information gathering and systems we have in place are still trailing behind the level at which we need to deal with these challenges. This new partnership with the NYPD will be significant and will leapfrog us to certain stages in terms of where we need to get to deal with multi-faceted issues of crime fighting”.
He added: “The issues that we experience are issues at higher levels which are experienced in other countries. Particularly with the NYPD, with crime-fighting challenges and their successes in New York, [the partnership] would be advantageous for us to learn from their experiences”.
The Minister closed with a statement on the unwavering support of President Irfaan Ali to this endeavour and the importance of better policing in advancing Guyana’s economy and the safety of its citizens.
National Security Advisor to President Ali, Gerald Gouveia in a statement to Stabroek News lauded the opportunity to the GPF for first hand mentorship and transformational leadership from the NYPD. Gouveia believes the members of the GPF who visit the NYPD Training Facility will greatly benefit from seeing community policing underway within the NYPD’s designated policing zone, which is also home to many forming part of the Guyana diaspora.
Theriot, First Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Police Department , Tania Kinsella, who is of Guyanese heritage; and the visiting team from the NYPD, were given a guided tour of the Guyana Police Force Academy, located in Eve Leary, Georgetown.
Throughout the tour, Kinsella and the team had interactions with a variety of trainees and staff members at the Academy, including the gym instructors and cooks, a release from the police said.
Kinsella encouraged the recruits to understand public safety and “be proud of who you are, and do good deeds because the world will reward you for your good deeds”. Her motivational talk with the recruits served as an inspiration to them to be good policemen and women.
This endeavour is being funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The visiting delegation is set to meet with the Mayor of Georgetown, several Ministers and members of civil society organizations.
