Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 09, 2022 News
Kaieteur News – Out of its $21 billion budgetary allocation, the Ministry of Home Affairs in just six months spent approximately $11 billion to ensure the safety and security of the public, the Ministry of Finance noted in its Mid-Year report.
The report was released by the Ministry of Finance last weekend. It detailed the performance of the economy in the first half of the year. The Guyana Police Force (GPF), an agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the report stated expended in just half a year, $7.9 billion in strengthening its operations. According to the report, during the first half of 2022, $99.3 million was expended towards the completion of police stations at Kato and Charity, as well as the Port Kaituma living quarters.
The report highlighted that works also progressed on the construction of Regional Command Centres at Anna Regina, Leonora, Fort Wellington, Whim and Wismar. Kaieteur News had reported back in June, that the Force signed some $129,573,450 in contracts for the construction of these command centres.
Additionally, the report stated that in the second half of the year, works are expected to commence on the construction of the Brickdam and Tuschen Police Stations as well as the floating ramp at the Ruimveldt and New Amsterdam Police Stations. Upgrade to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Drill Square; rehabilitation of barracks at Brickdam, Baramita, Rose Hall and Den Amstel; living quarters at TSU and the Criminal Investigation Department; and reconstruction of the Special Constabulary Headquarters are also slated to commence.
Most of these projects, Kaieteur News understands, have already been out to tender and contracts are to be awarded. While upgrading the Force’s infrastructure, the report revealed that the Government took action towards improving the response time and crime fighting capabilities of the Force, and with this an addition of 24 vehicles were added to its fleet while another 26 will be delivered in the second half of this year. Further, a sum of $21.4 million was expended towards the training of 1,972 ranks in over 65 courses, which were conducted both locally and internationally. It is anticipated that an additional 334 ranks will be trained in the second half of 2022.
Lastly, under the GPF, in the first half of 2022, a sum of $26.9 million was expended towards the operations of community policing groups countrywide. To date, the report highlighted a total of 74 new groups were formed in both the hinterland and mainland communities which led to an increased membership of 1,085 new members. Further, a total of 2,342 members participated in training sessions nationwide and it is anticipated that the formation of new groups and training sessions will continue in the second half of 2022.
Turing its attention to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), according to the report in the first of the year, a total of $1.8 billion was expended. The Mid-Year report detailed that during the first half of 2022, a sum of $574.9 million was expended towards enhancing the prison infrastructure countrywide. Ongoing works it noted includes the reconstruction of the prison infirmary, vocational school, and female prison at the Lusignan facility.
Additionally, the Prison Headquarters and Command Centre are expected to start in the second half of the year. Tender for the headquarters went out to tender and according to the Ministry this building it estimated to cost some $500 million to construct. At the end of June 2022, the report noted, 250 ranks completed training in Prison Management, as well as in other areas that require technical skills. Further, the sum of $6.5 million of the budgeted $88.9 million was expended towards the training of 672 inmates in areas such as literacy and numeracy, tailoring, anger management among others.
With regard to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the Finance Ministry report revealed that as at half year of 2022, a sum of $49.9 million of the $100 million budgeted was expended for the installation of fire hydrants, and the procurement of 148 complete fire hydrants which are expected to be delivered by the second half of 2022.
Further, a total of $158.3 million was expended to advance the procurement of a hydraulic platform, water bowsers and an all-terrain fire-fighting vehicle, while a sum of $114.8 million was also spent towards the advancement of works on the new Fire Service’s Headquarters and the construction of fire stations at Wales and Ogle.
This publication had reported that the Wales Fire Station is being constructed to the tune of $69 million while, the Ogle Fire Station is being built to the tune of $76 million.
While the Report did not provide details on the works of the Customs Anti Narcotics (CANU) and other agencies under the Ministry, below is a table of how much the agencies spent during the first half of 2022.
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
Apr 18, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has been named Wisden’s leading Twenty20 Cricketer for 2023, as she topped all and sundry, including her male counterparts. Alan Gardner looks...Kaieteur News – Compliments of the Ministry of Education, our secondary school children are being treated to a stage... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]