The Government of Guyana is putting systems in place to beef up security in communities that are located close to the border with neighbouring Venezuela by forming more Community Policing Groups (CPGs).
Based on reports of an increasing number of Venezuelan nationals crossing Guyana’s borders and given the potential threat Guyana faces due to major oil discovery, there are plans to have more heightened security in those areas.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said the first step to be taken is to assist law enforcement officials by forming new policing groups and in cases where there are, they will revamp them.
The Ministry is also considering the option of having outstanding citizens given precepts that would allow them to have some policing powers, especially since there are limited police in far flung communities that border Venezuela.
President David Granger had instructed the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to brief the Parliamentary committee on security on the steps that are being taken to secure communities located along the 800 kilometre border with Venezuela as a result of the unstable situation in that country, as well as the ongoing border controversy.
The Head of State also indicted that he expects that even as Government continues to work at the central and regional levels to ensure security in the border regions, civil society will be fully briefed.
The Guyana/Venezuela border controversy was recently referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by the United Nations.
