By Fareeza Haniff
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee has expressed his disappointment with Guyana’s current crime rate and as such, he called on the country’s Police Force to get its act together and curb the escalating crime situation.
During his first address to the SWAT unit on Thursday, February 6, Rohee made it abundantly clear that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has more than enough resources to tackle the issue.
He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs and by extension, the government is not comfortable with the crime rate, especially as it pertains to serious crimes with the use of firearms.
“We’re certainly not comfortable with that, with what currently obtains and the crime rate must be brought down especially in light of the fact that so many resources are being placed at the disposal of the Guyana Police Force,” the Home Affairs Minister said.
He further noted, “There must be no comfort level, there must be no comfort zone having regard to the amount of serious crimes that are committed on the national territory of our country.”
Rohee believes that the time is now for the government to get value for the monies investment in the Force.
“We have to begin getting value for money. With all the investments being made, we need to begin seeing more and more results. The Guyana Police Force has the tools to bring about good results. The government has provided the Police Force with these tools and these tools must be used to the benefit of the citizens.”
According to Rohee, between 2004 and 2013, the Ministry of Home Affairs invested some $2B in equipment for the Police Force, while another $1.2B was spent on improving land and water transport resources.
“These are not trifling figures. These are huge investments that the government has made in the Guyana Police Force. So for those who claimed that we’re not spending enough on this organization, I will request that they check their numbers again.”
He acknowledged that large investments do not necessarily give good results, however, Rohee still urged the Force to provide better results.
