Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 27, 2016 News
The ‘Smart City Project’ is among initiatives which have been identified to reduce crime. The project is part of the US$15M Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) that was launched on Monday at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston.
It was explained by Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan that this part of the programme will see cameras strategically placed around the city.
According to the Government Information Agency, this initiative, the Minister noted, is part of the Integrated Surveillance and Patrol Management System.
“This surveillance technology will enhance law enforcement effectiveness by providing up-to-date information, and supporting the development of proactive operational strategies and intelligence-led tactics,” the minister said.
While local law enforcement officials have been able to use footage from surveillance cameras around the city to assist in investigations into criminal activities, many persons have been critical of the types of cameras, saying that they were inferior.
The CSSP will also lend support to training in criminal and forensic techniques for police ranks, according to Minister Ramjattan. He stated that the project is a priority and will provide a safe environment for citizens. The programme comes at a time when Guyana and the Caribbean are experiencing yearly spikes in criminal activities.
The public security minister had stated that ‘Crime and violence’ represent a major obstacle to human, social and economic development and peaceful co-existence and a pressing concern for almost all Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean Region. He noted that in Guyana, particularly during the last decade and a half, crime and violence have become legitimate concerns for everyone.
“Guyana’s homicide rates have dramatically increased since 2000 from 9.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in that year to 20 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014. In 2013, the robbery rate reached 214.9 per 100,000 inhabitants and the domestic violence rate was 431.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. We have here, according to the WHO Report of 2014, the highest suicide rate in the Americas and the world,” the minister told the Marriott Hotel gathering.
Minister Ramjattan opined that the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme will also “improve effectiveness in the Guyana Police Force’s disciplinary control and accountability mechanisms by bridging the capacity gap in Police Complaints Authority and the Office of Professional Responsibility in conducting independent investigations.”
This part of the programme accounts for US$5.5M of the US$15M funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Specific objectives of the five-year Citizen Security Strengthening Programme are: to improve behaviours for non-violent conflict resolution in target communities, increase the Guyana Police Force’s effectiveness in crime prevention and crime investigation nationally, and improve the Guyana Prison Service’s effectiveness in reducing offenders’ recidivism at the national level.
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Public Security Project Implementation Unit, and will be managed by the IDB through direct supervision.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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