In the wake of the Lusignan killings, the Ministry of Agriculture has provided Community Policing Groups (CPGs) with a parcel of land at the back of the community.

The land is part of an area which is being used by cattle farmers who also cultivate cash crops, according to a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA).

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud met farmers and reached an agreement to support the intervention. He said that the CPGs can now use the land to establish an outpost and have a presence which will provide some level of security.

“The CPGs will work with the Guyana Police Force to push the initiative since the land has already been made available. The outpost will not only serve Lusignan but other neighbouring communities,” GINA said.

Meanwhile the Ministry has also been working with the Guyana Power and Light to install electricity in the area and this process has already begun, GINA said.

It said too that the administration has placed major emphasis on the formation of CPGs and President Bharrat Jagdeo reiterated this when he met with residents on the East Coast of Demerara.

The Guyana Police Force is cognisant of the shortage of ranks and has been working with groups which complement the work of the Force in crime fighting and in bridging the gap between police and the community which is the vital link in the fight against crime.

According to the GINA press release, there are 192 CPGs with 3,051 members across the country formed on a voluntary basis and spanning the ten administrative regions.

Government has been supporting these groups in the form of boats, vehicles and motorcycles among other items.