The U.S. Embassy and the U.S State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics & Law Enforcement, through the Justice Education Society (JES), donated a number of items valued at GY$798,000 to the Guyana Police Force and the Judiciary.
The donation is part of the JES project Strengthening the Criminal Justice System in Guyana, with a mandate to strengthen the capacity of said entities to serve Guyanese more efficiently and effectively. The project began in July 2016, implemented by the JES of British Columbia, Canada.
The GPF will benefit from one photocopier and six white boards, while the Judiciary will benefit from five photocopiers and a white board.
The project has been working with the Judiciary, the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory and news media to support the strengthening of the Guyanese justice system in a number of areas.
The project’s two key objectives are first, to improve investigation, case preparation, and trial advocacy of major crimes, and encourage media and public support for justice system reform, and secondly, to build the capacity of criminal justice actors in the use of forensic video evidence.
During its five years of implementation, the project ‘s activities with the GPF focused on tackling major crimes and included donations of equipment and supplies, training, coaching and the creation of quality assurance protocols for law enforcement officers including crime scene technicians, investigators, the new Forensic Video Analysis Unit, and police prosecutors.
JES also worked with the DPP’s Chambers and the Judiciary to create comprehensive and effective approaches to prosecuting and adjudicating cases of major crimes. JES’s work with the media focused on promoting public and media understanding of its work to support the continuing reform of the justice system in Guyana.
The current gift supplements earlier donations and will support the continued enhancement of Guyana’s criminal justice system.
