The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has established youth groups in what they consider to be ‘crime hotspots’ in Georgetown in an effort to prevent young people from becoming criminals.
This was emphasised by the Third in Command of Regional Division 4A Superintendent John Barker during a recent social media programme hosted by the GPF.
“We would have established the youth groups across Georgetown in mostly the hotspots areas which covers Albouystown, Charlestown…We also have a youth group that operates out of the Freeburg Secondary School, we have one in Sophia, also Alberttown…and these are the hotspots,” he noted.
“We have a relationship with our youths. So, we have established across Regional Division 4A several youth groups and so we interact with them from a tender age and try to groom or guide the choices that they make in terms of the future,” he added.
This initiative, Barker noted, also assists the police in its crime fighting approach by building a better relationship with the communities.
“We also create a bond with youths, that should they see anything negative, of course, they’ll report and communicate with us, and this aid us also in our information gathering and policing the region,” the senior police official explained.
Barker noted that another strategy that aids in crime fighting is the Community Policing Groups (CPGs).
“We also have the support of the Community Policing Groups in 4A and they also aid us in terms of the crime fighting, reference the provision of information, and also the physical presence with us on the roads in terms of patrols.”
“As relates to patrols, they do bicycle patrols, motor vehicle patrols. Of course, we know the market, in the Ruimveldt area on Sundays, so they generally come out on Sundays and support the police on the ground physically.”
For 2022, Barker said ranks in the division will continue with these initiatives and further work to improve the police’s relationship with communities.
“We will continue to go out, in terms of meeting with members of the community, interacting with members of the community, and also hopefully recruit more members for the CPGs.”
“So, we intend to build this partnership that we build this foundation from in 2021 and we intend to look that way in 2022.”
